MONUSCO to Deploy Ceasefire Monitoring Mission to Uvira

Doha: The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) will deploy an initial ceasefire monitoring mission to the eastern Congolese city of Uvira in the coming days, following the signing of a Doha-backed mandate between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Alliance Fleuve Congo / Mouvement du 23 Mars (AFC/M23).

“The members charged MONUSCO with deploying the first mission to the city of Uvira in the coming days in order to monitor the ceasefire,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday night after talks held in Doha.

The deployment follows a meeting of the ceasefire Monitoring and Verification Mechanism convened by the Qatar government, during which the Congolese authorities and AFC/M23 formally signed a mandate issued by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

According to the statement, the signing took place “at the conclusion of the meeting of the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism of the ceasefire between the two parties, organised today by the State of Qatar, as part of its efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

Both sides also reiterated their political commitments.

They “reaffirmed their commitment in favour of the ceasefire and the Doha Framework Agreement for Peace, signed on 15 November 2025,” and expressed their “determination to implement in good faith all the obligations stipulated therein, in order to support the peace process,” the statement said.

The Uvira deployment is intended to test compliance with the ceasefire on the ground in South Kivu, an area that has seen repeated flare-ups of violence and population displacement.

As part of the operational arrangements, “the necessary communication channels were established to facilitate the work of the mission in accordance with the mechanism,” Qatar said.

The Doha meeting brought together members of the monitoring mechanism, with the African Union and the United States attending as observers. Togo participated as mediator designated by the African Union, alongside representatives of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

“The meeting focused on the evolution of the situation, particularly on prospects relating to current challenges,” the statement said, adding that participants “underlined the need to implement concrete measures to strengthen monitoring, verification and the exchange of information in support of the peace process.”

Officials said members of the mechanism also agreed on “next steps aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the mechanism and ensuring the continuation of regular meetings within its framework,” signalling that the Uvira mission is expected to be the first in a series of deployments intended to anchor the fragile ceasefire in eastern Congo.