DR Congo: A regional mission is verifying the ceasefire in the east of the country

A delegation from the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism was deployed on Monday to the province of South Kivu, as Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 blame each other for new abuses.

UN helicopters landed a delegation from the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM+) in Minembwe, a town in the highlands of South Kivu, on Monday, August 24. Minembwe has been the scene of intense fighting in recent months. This is the first time this regional body has deployed to the area to monitor compliance with a ceasefire between the Congolese army and the AFC/M23 political-military group.

The MCVE+ brings together representatives from Kinshasa, the M23, and observers from the twelve member states of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). It was established in 2025 as part of the Doha negotiations, conducted under Qatari mediation. The mission is also scheduled to visit Uvira, a lakeside city from which the M23 withdrew in January, as well as the Kalehe territory, where fighting has been reported in recent weeks, according to the governor of South Kivu, Jean-Jacques Purusi.

This deployment comes the day after an announcement by the Swiss government: following closed-door talks held in Switzerland from August 17 to 21, Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 adopted a roadmap for peace negotiations. The two parties agreed on a mechanism to assess progress and any shortcomings in the commitments made in Doha. Representatives from the United States, Qatar, Switzerland, the African Union Commission, and Togo, the AU mediator, participated in these discussions.

The situation remains tense. On Monday, the Congolese government condemned the "crimes and serious human rights violations" attributed to the AFC/M23, accusing it of killing "more than 300 people" in June and July. The armed group's spokesperson responded by accusing government forces of carrying out a "deadly artillery attack" on a village near Minembwe. These conflicting allegations often remain unverifiable by independent sources.

Eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict for over thirty years. The AFC/M23, supported by Rwanda and its army, has controlled large portions of North and South Kivu since 2021. A peace agreement signed in December between Kinshasa and Kigali under the auspices of the United States has not ended the fighting. The ceasefire to which the parties committed in Doha in July 2025 has never been truly respected. Neither the Congolese authorities nor the AFC/M23 have officially reacted to the deployment of the MCVE+.