The AFC/M23
alliance will send a delegation to Doha, Qatar, at the invitation of that
country, to participate in talks aimed at finding a solution to the years-long
war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sources say that
Qatar has been keen to find a solution to the conflict, which is why it has
decided to listen to each side of the conflict, inviting the M23, with the aim
of understanding its reasons, which are often ignored at the international
level.
One of the
ongoing criticisms of the parties seeking to resolve the conflict in the
eastern DRC is that they have not given the M23 the opportunity to explain its
reasons, even though it is a party directly affected by the conflict.
Qatar invited the
M23 after the Emir of Qatar brought together Rwandan President Paul Kagame and
Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on March 18 for talks
aimed at easing the long-standing tension between the two countries.
The Qatari
Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that President Kagame, Tshisekedi and
Sheikh Tamim reaffirmed the will of the parties concerned to the decision to
cease hostilities in eastern DRC taken by African heads of state.
The heads of
state also agreed to “continue the talks initiated by Doha, aimed at
establishing a concrete basis for the pursuit of lasting peace, in line with
the recently convened Luanda and Nairobi talks.”
However, after
these talks, the Leader of the AFC/M23 Alliance indicated that the fighters of
the alliance would not respect the decisions taken in the talks between
President Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi if they did not resolve their
problems.
Meanwhile, the
AFC/M23 had recently announced that it would not participate in the peace talks
that would have brought it together with the DRC government in Luanda, Angola,
explaining that it was due to the sanctions imposed by the European Union on
some of its leaders.
The leaders of
the AFC/M23 were subjected to these sanctions, at the request of the Belgian
government, which in turn was requested by Tshisekedi. The alliance has shown
that it will achieve nothing, except to hide the war in the East of the DRC.
In an interview
with Reuters on March 20, Nangaa indicated that the DRC government is not
willing to listen to the demands of the AFC/M23, saying, “We have nothing left
to lose. We will fight until our cause is heard.”
Qatar is a
powerful country in the field of mediation, having played a role in resolving
conflicts around the world, an area in which the country has built up
long-standing experience.
