The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebel group have agreed on a roadmap for peace negotiations, outlining a series of sequenced steps and timelines for future talks.

 

In a joint statement, the two sides said they reviewed progress and challenges in the Doha peace process during meetings held in Switzerland from 17th to 21st of this month. They also discussed the implementation of existing commitments and the next steps for negotiations under the Doha Framework Agreement.

 

The parties further agreed to establish a mechanism to monitor progress and address challenges in fulfilling obligations and commitments under the framework. They also welcomed progress in operationalising the ceasefire verification mechanism.

 

Earlier, the DRC government and M23 said the Swiss-hosted talks had made progress on facilitating humanitarian access and strengthening ceasefire monitoring.