The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Alliance Fleuve Congo / March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) have signed in Doha the terms of reference arising from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region. The signing came at the close of a meeting of the Ceasefire Oversight and Verification Mechanism between the two sides, hosted by Qatar as part of its efforts to help end the conflict in eastern Congo.
Both parties also renewed their commitment to the ceasefire and to the Doha Framework Agreement for Peace, signed on November 15, 2025, and pledged to implement all their obligations in good faith to support the peace process.
Members of the mechanism attended the meeting, with the United States and the African Union present as observers, alongside the Republic of Togo in its role as AU-appointed mediator, the UN Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
Talks focused on developments in the field and the challenges facing implementation. Participants stressed the need for practical steps to strengthen monitoring, verification and information-sharing in support of peace efforts.
They also reviewed plans by MONUSCO and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region to put the mechanism into operation, and reaffirmed their backing for its work to ensure the success of field missions. MONUSCO was tasked with sending the first field mission to the city of Uvira in the coming days to monitor the ceasefire, with the necessary communication channels already established to facilitate its work under the mechanism.
