Qatar emphasises peaceful resolution of conflicts after DRC-Rwanda deal

After Doha helped mediate, Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi says state is committed to efforts to de-escalate conflicts.

Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi has welcomed the peace agreement betwixt Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), saying that it came aft respective rounds of talks, immoderate of which were held successful Doha.

The deal, signed successful Washington, DC, connected Friday with backing from the United States and Qatar, volition spot Rwandan soldiers retreat from the DRC and the 2 countries acceptable up mechanisms to heighten commercialized and information cooperation.

“We anticipation that the sides volition adhere to the presumption of the statement to de-escalate and bolster the information and stableness of the … region,” al-Khulaifi, who serves arsenic curate of authorities astatine the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Al Jazeera.

Al-Khulaifi added that the meeting betwixt Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, hosted by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani successful Doha successful March, was followed by a bid of talks, paving the mode for Friday’s deal.

“Qatar enjoys fantabulous relationships with some countries and has earned the spot of some countries arsenic a mediator and planetary spouse trying to resoluteness these issues,” helium said.

“Doha was a level for these meetings, and we contributed [to reaching the agreement] with the US.”

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, right, and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame conscionable with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani successful Doha, Qatar, March 18, 2025 [File: Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters]

The Reuters quality bureau reported earlier this period that Qatar presented a draught peace proposal to Rwanda and the DRC aft negotiations successful Doha.

On Friday, the US Department of State said the US, Qatar, the African Union and Togo “will proceed to prosecute some parties to guarantee implementation of the obligations laid retired successful the agreement”.

The statement has sparked hopes of ending the struggle successful the DRC, wherever the Rwanda-backed M23 equipped radical has been advancing successful the resource-rich eastbound of the country.

The renewed unit had raised fears of igniting a full-blown conflict, akin to the wars that the DRC endured successful the precocious 1990s, involving respective African countries, which killed millions of people.

“Qatar afloat believes successful dialog arsenic the cornerstone for resolving struggle done peaceful means,” al-Khulaifi said.

“Qatar believes that mediation is simply a pillar of its overseas policy. That’s why, hopefully, you volition find Qatar ever racing to effort to resoluteness issues betwixt countries, adjacent countries that are geographically acold from Qatar.”

Qatar has played a cardinal relation successful securing diplomatic deals successful assorted conflicts crossed the satellite implicit the past years. Most recently, it helped mediate the ceasefire statement that ended the 12-day warfare betwixt Israel and Iran.

“What pleases maine is that this statement came days aft different statement which Qatar contributed to with the US – and that’s the ceasefire betwixt Iran and Israel,” al-Khulaifi said. “Qatar volition not spare immoderate efforts to prosecute successful much attempts to de-escalate and prosecute peaceful means to extremity these conflicts.”