DR Congo: M23 Threatens to Boycott Peace Process Over Prisoners

Africa News with Malaika Élysée

The M23 rebel movement, which controls large swathes of territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, is threatening to boycott the ongoing peace process.

At issue is the release of prisoners which Kinshasa is being slow to do.

With negotiations due to resume in Doha next month, the M23, through its permanent secretary, Benjamin Mbonimpa, took a tougher stance at a press briefing on Friday.

“After the implementation of the Declaration of Principles, discussions will immediately follow to sign an actual agreement,” said Mbonimpa, who is also a negotiator.

The declaration, signed by both sides earlier this month, is intended as a roadmap towards a permanent peace deal which is due by 18 August.

“What will we do in Doha if our prisoners are not yet released, because it is written in the declaration that this clause must be implemented before moving on to the next stage,” said Mbonimpa.

The agreement in principle, signed in Doha under Qatar's mediation, provided for an immediate ceasefire.

But the truce was short-lived with the warring parties accusing each other of violations.

Fighting between the M23 and the Wazalendo self-defence groups, allied with the Congolese army, is intensifying in North and South Kivu provinces.

Mbonimpa said the M23 will always be on the defensive, blaming Kinshasa and it proxy forces for the attacks.

“As I said in the briefing, if the Wazalendo attack us, we will observe and declare that it is the Kinshasa government that is attacking us,” he said.

 In Goma, a city of more than two million inhabitants that fell into rebel hands last January, the hope raised by the signing of the agreement is already beginning to fade.

Tired of repeated violence, the population wants only one thing: real and lasting peace.

Goma resident, Amani Safari, said he sees no visible changes in relation to the discussions being held.

“We’re still waiting for the ongoing clashes and other issues to be resolved, but we’re waiting for them to speak and for agreements to have been reached,” he said.

Another resident, Bisimwa Alame, said all he hoped for was for an agreement to be reached so that the country can return to peace when people lived in unity.

“This war situation is unnecessary and does not contribute to development,” he said.

Direct talks on a peace deal are due to begin in Doha on 8 August, but the threat of the M23 looms large.

For those overseeing the process and people in the East, the new round of discussions must be a decisive turning point, moving from fragile promises to a genuine desire to silence the guns.