The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the AFC/M23 rebel alliance have agreed on a sequenced roadmap and timelines for further peace negotiations, according to a joint statement released by Qatar on August 22. The plan followed meetings in Switzerland from August 17 to 21 and is intended to advance the Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed by the parties in November 2025.
Representatives of the Congolese government and AFC/M23 met with Qatar, the United States, Switzerland, Togo as the African Union mediator, and the African Union Commission. They reviewed progress and obstacles in carrying out existing commitments and discussed protocols that remain under negotiation. The statement did not publish the roadmap's detailed timetable or announce a final settlement.
The parties reported progress on the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus, including creation of its secretariat. With logistical support from the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, the mechanism conducted a reconnaissance mission on August 20 ahead of its first ceasefire verification mission, scheduled for August 24 in Minembwe in South Kivu. The sides also backed a standardized method for reporting alleged ceasefire violations.
A separate review mechanism will track implementation and address problems involving obligations under the framework. The parties said the order in which protocols are negotiated will not necessarily determine when they are implemented, and they reaffirmed their commitment to pursue a comprehensive peace. That wording indicates continued engagement but does not itself verify compliance on the ground.
The roadmap carries major humanitarian importance because fighting in eastern Congo has continued despite earlier accords. UNHCR says 5.7 million Congolese people remained displaced inside the country or as refugees and asylum-seekers at the end of 2025, while new and repeated displacement continued in 2026. UN Peacekeeping reported in June that heavy fighting persisted between AFC/M23, supported by Rwandan forces, and the Congolese army and allied Wazalendo groups. Rwanda has denied supporting M23.
The August 24 mission is therefore an immediate test of whether the new sequence can produce independently documented steps rather than another unfulfilled pledge. Mediators will also need the parties to negotiate the remaining protocols and make the new review mechanism operational. The joint statement said both sides had shared recommendations with facilitators, but it gave no deadline for a comprehensive agreement.
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