Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Felix Thsisekedi met at Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, March 18, to discuss the conflict in the Eastern DRC.
Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, hosted the trilateral meeting to address the escalating situation in the East African nation.
A joint statement was also issued by the State of Qatar the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Rwanda with Kagame and Tshisekedi reaffirming their commitment to a ceasefire and ongoing peace talks.
“The Heads of State welcomed the progress ess made in the Luanda and Nairobi processes, as well as the joint EAC-SADC summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on February 8, 2025.
The Heads of State reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as agreed at the said summit,” read the statement.
Kagame and Tshisekedi Hold Peace Talk Meetings in Doha
Furthermore, the statement read that the Heads of State agreed on the need to proceed with the discussions initiated in Doha to establish a solid foundation for lasting peace, as envisaged in the Luanda/Nairobi process, which has now been merged and/or aligned.
President Kagame and Tshisekedi thanked the State of Qatar and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar for organizing the meeting, which helped build confidence in the ongoing peace talks.
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The peace talk meeting comes days after the M23 rebels withdrew from the planned peace talks that was to happen in Rwanda.
At the same time, the M23 rebel spokesperson said the decision was in response to the European Union imposing sanctions on their leader and Rwandan army officials.
The rebels cited these sanctions as undermining the negotiations.
Meeting between Kagame and Tshisekedi also comes after discussions were held in Harare, Zimbabwe regarding the conflict in Eastern DRC.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi co-chaired a joint ministerial meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, where EAC and SADC ministers discussed progress on implementing resolutions from previous summits. These resolutions included immediate ceasefire, humanitarian assistance, and reopening of key supply routes.
Prime CS also stated that fresh and coordinated measures are required to address the worsening security and humanitarian conditions in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Issues M23 Rebels Want to Be Addressed
Despite the withdrawal, the Congolese government stated that it will still attend the talks.
Since the conflict in Eastern DRC escalated this year, the Rwandan government has faced sanctions from various European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, accusing Kagame of funding the M23 rebel group to fight the DRC government.
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What’s more, Kagame has distanced himself from those allegations and accused the European nations of siding with the DRC government.
Among the issues that the M23 rebels want addressed are recognizing the Banyamulenge/Tutsis as Congolese people and letting the Kivu region to govern itself like Katanga.
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