Qatar has helped broker a roadmap of sequenced steps and timelines for the next round of negotiations between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Alliance Fleuve Congo/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), with the first ceasefire verification mission on the ground due in Minembwe on Monday.
The roadmap emerged from five days of talks in Switzerland that ended on Friday, held under the Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in the Qatari capital on November 15, 2025. A joint statement was issued by the two parties together with Qatar, the United States, Togo as African Union mediator, Switzerland and the African Union Commission.
The parties welcomed continued progress on standing up the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), including the establishment of its secretariat. An EJVM+ reconnaissance mission, backed logistically by MONUSCO, was carried out on Wednesday ahead of the Minembwe deployment.
They agreed on the importance of a standardised method for reporting alleged ceasefire violations, and on setting up a mechanism to review progress and address difficulties in implementing obligations and commitments under the framework.
In drawing up the roadmap, the parties committed to flexibility and creativity within the structure the framework provides. They also agreed that the order in which the remaining protocols are negotiated does not dictate the order in which they are implemented — a point that frees implementation to move on whichever tracks are ready first.
The talks assessed progress made and challenges encountered so far in the Doha Process, and looked at the path forward for existing obligations and for the negotiation of the outstanding protocols. The parties reaffirmed their commitment to pursue negotiations towards comprehensive peace and conflict resolution through implementation of the framework, and shared recommendations with the facilitation on how to keep negotiations constructive.
Representatives of the DRC government and of the AFC/M23 thanked Qatar, the United States, Togo as AU mediator, Switzerland and the AU Commission for their steadfast support in advancing peace and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.