Three Congolese military officers arrived in Goma on July 12, to join the formally established ceasefire monitoring mechanism aimed at supporting peace efforts in eastern DR Congo, The New Times has learnt.

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Lt Col Cosmas Ben Epule, Maj Fredy Lokuli Bofanda and Maj Andre Kitoko Dimonekene were flown to rebel-controlled Goma city by the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, and joined the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+). The ceasefire monitoring mechanism is headed by Zambian Brig Gen Charles Simuyuni Nakeempa, who is deputised by Angolan Col Arlindo Sebastião Vandunem Fernandes.

The mechanism also includes three AFC/M23 military officers, while observers from the African Union (AU), the State of Qatar and the United States are expected to participate in verification missions to strengthen transparency and international confidence.

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What the monitoring team will do

MONUSCO will provide logistical and coordination support to the EJVM+, whose mandate is to oversee compliance with the ceasefire agreed by the Congolese government and AFC/M23 in July 2025 in Doha, Qatar.

The team will investigate reported violations, verify incidents on the ground and determine whether attacks, troop movements or other actions amount to breaches of the ceasefire agreement. It will have unrestricted access to both sides of the frontline and submit weekly reports to the oversight body.

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Any member of the mechanism may report suspected violations, which must be investigated within 72 hours. The mechanism will normally meet virtually every month or whenever necessary, with its first meeting expected within seven days of its establishment.

The EJVM+ will remain operational until both parties fully comply with the ceasefire or jointly agree to end the arrangement.

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Fighting continues despite deployment

Despite the deployment of the government officers, the AFC/M23 movement on Tuesday, July 14, reported continued attacks by the Kinshasa coalition, comprising the Congolese army (FARDC), Burundian forces, the FDLR and Wazalendo militias, mercenaries and other local armed groups.

According to the movement, coalition forces shelled densely populated areas in Masisi territory on July 12, striking Malemo and its surroundings before later targeting the centre of Miandja. It said further attacks were launched early on July 14 against Gasenyi, Ruki and Gatovu.

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The movement said the attacks caused civilian deaths, destruction of property and the displacement of families.

"The Kinshasa regime continues a massive deployment of troops and military equipment with a view to a generalized offensive in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, posing a grave threat to civilian populations,” the AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement posted on his official X account.

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Speaking to The New Times on Tuesday, the AFC/M23 deputy spokesperson Oscar Balinda questioned Kinshasa's commitment to the ceasefire, saying the arrival of its representatives in Goma was inconsistent with the military operations reported on the ground.

"Sending their team for the ceasefire monitoring process and attacking us the next morning simply means they do not believe in the ceasefire itself,” Balinda said. "It is not a surprise because it is a reflection of the previous actions by the government.”

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He also accused the government of failing to implement earlier confidence-building measures.

"We have previously signed the release of prisoners by both sides. We released government soldiers in our liberated zones, yet Kinshasa has never released any of our people imprisoned by the government,” he said.

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Despite the continued fighting, Balinda said the next step now rests with the commander of the verification mechanism.

"The rest lies with the Zambian general to convene the meeting to assess how the ceasefire will be monitored. We have always advocated for a buffer zone during the peace talks and Kinshasa opposed it, so the team will have to determine how the ceasefire will be implemented and monitored.”

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Balinda argued that the government’s decision to send its representatives to the monitoring mechanism could be as a result of its failure to retake Minembwe in South Kivu, an area that had endured months of air strikes, ground offensives and a blockade that disrupted access to food, medicine and markets before it was recently captured by Twirwaneho, a local self-defence group allied with AFC/M23.

"Their intention was to capture the area and destroy it completely, but they failed. It was liberated and Minembwe people will never face such sustained attacks ever again.”

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Balinda maintained that AFC/M23 has never intended to expand its territory but intervenes to protect civilians.

"We do not attack to expand the liberated zones. We found ourselves in Minembwe and other areas like Kalehe in South Kivu as our means to protect civilians who have been persecuted since 2025, with sustained drone attacks and other means of killings,” Balinda said.

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He claimed the movement had recently captured Point Zero in South Kivu, which he said had been used by coalition forces for military telecommunications and to disrupt communications among local communities.

He also noted that Burundian troops had suffered significant losses during recent fighting despite their continued engagement in the fights.

ALSO READ: How Burundian troops in South Kivu sparked a distinct humanitarian crisis amid DR Congo’s wider war

The ceasefire was agreed under the Declaration of Principles signed in Doha on July 19, 2025, as a key confidence-building measure and one of eight protocols intended to pave the way towards a final peace agreement.

The process advanced on October 14, 2025, when both parties signed an agreement establishing the joint ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism.