Qatari emir arrives in DR Congo after Rwanda visit

Qatar has mediated talks betwixt the DRC authorities and M23 rebels which led to a model woody past week.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), days aft the authorities and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel radical signed a model statement for a bid woody aimed astatine ending warring successful the country’s east.

On his archetypal travel to the African country, the Qatari person was welcomed successful the superior Kinshasa connected Friday by DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and different officials.

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The frameworkd agreement was the latest successful a bid of documents signed successful caller months arsenic portion of efforts, backed by the United States and Qatar, to extremity decades of warring successful eastbound DRC that has been an enduring menace to determination stability.

The model was described by the US and Qatari officials arsenic an important measurement towards peace, but 1 of galore that prevarication ahead.

Sheikh Tamim arrived successful the DRC a time aft visiting Rwanda, wherever helium met President Paul Kagame.

Rwanda has agelong denied allegations that it has helped M23, which has seized much territory successful the DRC than it has ever antecedently held.

Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Kinshasa, said the emir wrapped his little authorities sojourn to the state aft gathering the Congolese president astatine the airdrome and past astatine the statesmanlike palace.

Vall said that Qatar signed a fig of protocols connected economical and governmental practice with the DRC.

He besides said, “The emir of Qatar has made his archetypal halt successful Kigali overnight, earlier helium arrived present this morning, and the knowing is that that’s a symbolic determination to nexus the 2 capitals and amusement that determination is nary alternate to rapprochement betwixt the 2 countries.”

Qatar’s acting complaint d’affaires successful the superior Kinshasa, Shafi bin Newaimi al-Hajri, said Sheikh Tamim’s sojourn to the DRC was of peculiar value for bilateral relations.

Al-Hajri said diplomatic ties betwixt the sides expanded successful caller years, noting that a DRC embassy was opened successful Doha successful 2022 and Qatar opened its ngo successful Kinshasa successful May 2025.

Al-Hajri besides stressed that Qatar’s mediation efforts aimed astatine stabilising eastbound DRC played a cardinal relation successful strengthening dialog betwixt the 2 governments.

Trade of barbs

In eastbound DRC, unit has continued contempt the assorted diplomatic processes successful Washington and Doha, with Congolese authorities and M23 trading blasted for violating the principles of earlier agreements and deliberately delaying talks.

And the prolonged negotiations bash not code the menace from a multitude of different equipped groups operating successful the volatile east.

M23 seized Goma, eastbound DRC’s largest city, successful January and went connected to marque gains crossed North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, triggering a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

Qatar has hosted aggregate rounds of nonstop talks betwixt the DRC authorities and M23 going backmost to April, but they person dealt mostly with preconditions and confidence-building measures.

The 2 sides agreed successful July to a declaration of principles that near galore cardinal issues astatine the basal of the struggle unresolved, and successful October they reached a woody connected the monitoring of an eventual ceasefire.

The July woody signed successful Doha followed an earlier, abstracted bid statement betwixt the Congolese and Rwandan governments made successful Washington successful June.