DR Congo, M23 Set Up Monitoring Body Despite Violations

A new monitoring mechanism has been agreed in the latest Switzerland talks between DR Congo & M23 rebels even as clashes intensify. Negotiations that began Monday produced an interim monitoring mechanism between the DRC government and the AFC/M23 coalition, according to a report by Radio France Internationale.

The body will track ceasefire violations and humanitarian conditions, with participation from both sides and support from the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Yet the agreement lands amid continued hostilities. Al Jazeera reported that the situation on the ground in Goma is very fragile, with both sides accusing each other of breaching earlier truces. Fighting has expanded into South Kivu’s highlands, where “thousands of civilians are caught in the middle.”

Since early 2025, M23 has seized key towns including Goma in North Kivu and Bukavu in South Kivu, reshaping the military balance. These gains followed a December agreement signed in Washington between President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, aimed at stabilizing eastern Congo.

Despite that December deal, clashes resumed almost immediately. And the ceasefire has seen a lot of ups and downs since then.

The conflict’s humanitarian dimension remains acute. Civilians face displacement, blocked escape routes, and disrupted aid flows, even as mediators from the United States and Qatar push for compliance with monitoring arrangements.

Human Rights Watch warned this week that both sides are obstructing aid and restricting civilian movement in South Kivu. “Civilians in South Kivu’s highlands are facing a dire humanitarian crisis,” said Clementine de Montjoye, adding they “live in fear of abuses by all parties.”

For now agreements are reached based on the new mechanism. But enforcement capacity remains limited. MONUSCO’s involvement provides technical support, yet the absence of durable compliance mechanisms continues to undermine ceasefires.

Local expectations remain cautious. Residents hope external mediators can compel adherence, but repeated breakdowns since December, including fragmented armed actors and contested territorial control, suggest the main problem still remains unresolved.