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    Central Africa: Appeal From South Kivu Civil Society – ‘Territorial Integrity Must Be Respected and the Local Population Must Be Included in the Peace Talks’

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    Kinshasa — The populations in war-torn areas must not be ignored by not being invited to negotiations to resolve the conflicts that affect them. This is what a group of personalities and traditional leaders from South Kivu civil society stressed in a joint appeal to Mohammed Abdulaziz Saleh Al-Khulaif, the Qatari Minister of State in charge of mediating between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to resolve the conflict in eastern Congo.

    Qatar’s mediation aims primarily to reach an agreement between the government in Kinshasa and the M23/AFC (Congo River Alliance) rebels supported by Kigali, while the United States’ mediation efforts focus on reconciliation between the governments of the DRC and Rwanda.

    A first result was achieved with the signing of an agreement between the DRC and Rwanda in the Oval Office of the White House (see Fides, 27/6/2025). This was followed by the signing of a declaration of principles between the government in Kinshasa and the M23/AFC on July 19 in Doha (see Fides, 21/7/2025) as the basis for a final agreement, which was to be reached in mid-August. However, such an agreement has not yet been reached (see Fides, 19/8/2025).


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    Qatar had presented a proposal for a comprehensive peace agreement on August 14, but this has raised concerns among the authors of the recent petition, who believe the text contains clauses that “endanger respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the DRC.” This includes Article 8, concerning the creation of a temporary special unit for the “affected region.” According to civil society representatives, this provision is highly problematic. Especially since point (a) states: “The temporary special unit carries out its duties within the framework of a fixed-term mandate of five years, which can be extended if necessary.” “Therefore,” continues the document sent to Fides, “it appears dangerous for the territorial integrity of the DRC to entrust the mandate for the protection and defense of the territory to an institution other than the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC).” “According to our country’s Constitution, the defense of the entire territory, a sovereign task par excellence, falls under the sovereignty of the central state,” the authors emphasize.

    Finally, the petition emphasizes that “it seems logical that civil society in the affected regions should be invited to the Doha talks, which have a profound impact on our present and our future. The international community should not repeat the mistakes of the past.” “We should learn from the tragedies in Ukraine and Palestine that are unfolding before our eyes,” it emphasizes.