Ceasefire Monitoring Begins in Congo Amid Renewed Peace Efforts

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo will send its first team to monitor a ceasefire between Congo’s government and the AFC/M23 rebel group. The team will be deployed to Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo. This marks progress in Doha-mediated talks between Congo and the rebels.

The United Nations is taking a significant step in aiding the ceasefire between Congo's government and the AFC/M23 rebel group. A peacekeeping team will soon head to Uvira in eastern Congo, marking a crucial deployment since the rebel group captured the city in December last year. This move follows successful talks in Doha, facilitated by Qatar, where both sides agreed on terms for the ceasefire monitoring mechanism.

The commitment to this peace initiative sees the United Nations trying to stabilize the region after the rebels, in an aggressive campaign last year, managed to seize unprecedented swathes of land in eastern Congo. Meanwhile, parallel discussions between Congo and Rwanda are ongoing, hosted by the United States. Rwanda, however, denies allegations by the United Nations and Western powers that it supports AFC/M23.

Despite these diplomatic strides, tensions remain high as evidenced by recent attacks involving explosive-laden drones at the airport in Kisangani in northeastern Congo. If related to AFC/M23 activities, it represents the most westerly advance by the group so far in its conflict with the government in Kinshasa.

(With inputs from agencies.)