DR Congo govt meets M23 rebels in Qatar

DOHA: Democratic Republic of Congo government delegation has met with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in Qatar in a bid to halt fighting in the country´s east, a source with knowledge of the talks said Saturday.

The M23 has taken control of large swathes of the DRC´s eastern provinces of North and South Kivu since 2021 and captured their capitals Goma and Bukavu in a lightning offensive earlier this year.

“A discreet meeting was hosted by the Qataris in Doha last week between delegations from the government of DRC and the AFC/M23 movement, marking their first direct encounter in a long time,” the source told AFP.

“Further talks are now expected in Doha, again with the Qataris mediating, to sustain the momentum and explore constructive solutions to end the conflict peacefully.”

The source described the opening round of talks in late March as “positive”, saying it had built “trust between the two sides that led to the withdrawal of M23 forces from the strategically important city of Walikale as a gesture of goodwill”.

The DRC army accused the M23 of reneging on that commitment last week by reinforcing its positions around the key mining hub, the farthest west the group has advanced in the country´s interior since its foundation in 2012.

But on Thursday, the army confirmed that the rebels had withdrawn from the city.

“The enemy has left the area,” an officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The city´s fall to the rebels had prompted mining group Alphamin to suspend activities at the Bisie tin mine, the world´s third-largest.

The DRC´s enormous mineral reserves are critical to global supplies of lithium and cobalt, used in cell batteries and electric vehicles, tantalum, tin and gold used in electronic devices, and copper for power lines and uranium.

But they have also fuelled and financed the multiple rebellions that have gripped the vast African country.