Peace talks between the government of DR Congo and the AFC/M23 rebels are expected to resume in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, August 18, the same day that a peace agreement was scheduled to be signed. Negotiators of the two parties could meet in the Gulf country, about one month after they signed the declaration of principles, a document that lays the foundation of a peace deal. However, statements from the two parties are not clear about whether their representatives will meet on Monday. ALSO READ: M23 issues alert about 'offensive manoeuvres' by DR Congo army A draft peace agreement has been submitted to the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebels, media reports said recently, quoting a Qatari official privy to the negotiation. But it remains to be seen whether they will sign it on Monday. The two parties have recently accused each other of failing to implement the provisions of the July 19 declaration, with the AFC/M23 rebels accusing the government coalition of new deployments of troops and equipment, in what they described as a clear escalation strategy in violation of the ceasefire. On Sunday, the Congolese government and the rebels, who control the two largest cities in eastern DR Congo, released separate statements, saying they were still committed to the Doha talks, whose fifth round concluded on July 19. ALSO READ: DR Congo-AFC/M23 talks: Details of new deal emerge The Kinshasa statement, released on the eve of resumption of talks, suggested that negotiators would resume on Monday. However, the AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka suggested that the movement's negotiators would return to the talks when the declaration of principles had been implemented. The AFC/M23 ... reaffirms its full commitment to the Doha Peace Process and emphasises that only the full implementation of the Declaration of Principles will enable the next round of talks to proceed, which should be based on the root causes of the conflict,” Kanyuka said in a statement on Sunday evening. “Only in this framework alone that these root causes will be addressed, thereby paving the way for a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement.” ALSO READ: AFC/M23 says Rwanda-DR Congo deal ‘tiny’ part of solution The Doha peace talks, which began in April, seek to end a conflict that has been ongoing for three decades. The Doha peace process is complemented by a peace agreement signed by Rwanda and DR Congo in Washington, D.C. on June 27. Among the issues these two processes seek to address in the presence of the FDLR, a Kinshasa-backed militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and which presents a threat to Rwanda and Congolese Tutsi communities. The sanctioned terrorist group is part of the Congolese government coalition fighting the AFC/M23 rebels.
