Kagame, Tshisekedi agree to ceasefire after Qatar talks

Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda have agreed to a ceasefire in the rebel-controlled eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The agreement followed talks held on Tuesday between the two leaders and the Emir of the State of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Kagame and Tshisekedi also agreed to continue the talks initiated in Qatar to establish foundations for lasting peace.

“The Heads of State welcomed the progress made in the Luanda and Nairobi processes, as well as the joint EAC-SADC summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on February 8, 2025. The Heads of State reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as agreed at the said summit.

“The Heads of State then agreed on the need to continue the discussions initiated in Doha in order to establish solid foundations for lasting peace as envisioned in the Luanda/Nairobi process, now merged and/or aligned,” a joint statement released by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The talks were initiated as part of efforts to ease the situation in the eastern DRC.

The region is controlled by the M23 rebel group, which Kinshasa has for a long time claimed is backed by Rwanda.

Rwanda has on many occasions denied this.

The Kagame-led country, however, insists that it is only protecting itself from the FDLR, a Rwandese rebel group based in the eastern parts of DRC.

In a statement after the meeting, Kagame said they reiterated support for the East African Community (EAC) - Southern African Development Community (SADC) led process to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

He said they also discussed the need to address the FDLR issue and to have a dialogue with the M23.

“The meeting reiterated the leaders’ support of the EAC-SADC process as the primary mechanism towards a sustainable solution to the conflict in DRC. The need to address the issue of FDLR genocidal forces and to have security guarantees for Rwanda and the region was also emphasized.

“The leaders also discussed the urgent need for direct political dialogue with AFC/M23 as key to addressing the root causes of the conflict in Eastern DRC.”

On his part, the DRC presidency said the two leaders had agreed to a cease-fire and that modalities for implementation of what had been agreed would follow in due course.

"The two Heads of State reaffirmed their commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. The modalities for implementing what has been agreed will be specified in the coming days within the framework of the achievements of the Luanda and Nairobi Peace processes," the Présidence RDC said on X.