Briefing of the dialogue on the agreement between the government of DRC and the Rebels of AFC-M23 supported by Rwanda

Online engagement about the agreement of principle signed between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rebels of River Congo Alliance/M23 for Peace

Today as it has been already our practice, we have offered a space for people to talk and express themselves more about the issue of forced migrants in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we believe in the power of speech and we want free speech to replace the culture of guns. Some times in our country people resort to guns when they have no spaces to air out their feelings and sometimes when they think that their views will not be taken into account. We are working on both creating a free space in order to interact, learn relearn and unlearn.

We are aware about some feedbacks already, some people are telling that refugee issue in DRC is extremely complex, we have said yes it is true but it is not an argument to leave it, the question we should ask is how you can make easier for each one to understand it and work on it freely. Some also have told us that the issue is sensitive, that is true also because we are the very first generation to bring this issue to public, the same question is how to make it easier and not sensitive anymore so that even a common person at the community can understand and work on it at the community level? Others have told us that refugee issue in DRC is highly political, we have said yes, but also how can we focus on what is our role and mitigate the political aspect of it?  

It is time to sit on table and bring facts and data as the foundation of our arguments so that we can we face the reality and then construct our common future. It is on this ground that we organized this online dialogue today Monday November 24^th, 2025.

This time it was about the recently concluded agreement between the DRC and the AFC/M23 rebels backed by Rwanda which is called peace principle.

So far with the dialogues we have held so many positive things have come up mainly: Truth, Justice and Reconciliation.

It was then observed that the concluded agreement in Qatar between DRC and ACF/M23 was not a peace agreement but rather an agreement of the secession of hostilities between the two parties. This should not be confused with the word peace which should have been a major focus in this region. Ending hostilities does not mean peace because people especially armed groups will continue fighting as usual.

Some participants rejected the idea to launch a war because of national identity which can be solved through non-violent mechanisms and especially that there are ways to claim the Congolese national identity without using guns. Even if it is granted, it will not be genuine and will be at the center of various wars because it was imposed through guns and questions will remain how long it will stand.

The identification of Rwandan refugees in DRC and those already in their country in Rwanda may be the cause, and participants wondered why these refugees should not opt for naturalization rather than taking guns.

Participants exchanged so long on issues of FDLR and Tutsi refugees in DRC but also issues of land. There are issues which may need a constitutional change if we may need to put them in place but surprisingly the same rebels are against the constitutional change, now how are they likely to get the nationality they are looking for, how are they going to get the land in order to be full Congolese?

Conclusions were made on the necessity and urgent need to put in place a DRCongo Refugee Management Policy which can guide the country on which direction to take on issues about refugees. The lack of proper management of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo is at the center and the main cause of these problems. Rwanda claims everyone in DRC is FDLR but Rwanda knows DRC does not have data base who is a refugee and who is not. Each Rwandan in DRC claims now to be Congolese because they know, DRC does not have a data base of who is who in the country and who came when and why.

Participants showed great commitment towards the protection of refugees, the need to welcome refugees and offer them protection space as long as the government put in place clear arrangements.

For peace to come back in eastern DRCongo the following should also be considered as the Community level:

Truth: Who is who at the community level (the attention should be put the name, the date and year of coming, the provenance, the tribe and ancestors line, the land the person belongs to, accusation of that land, and who owns the land now), these are among issues to be discussed freely and openly and without fear of guns.

Justice: This should be in place and comprise both transitional and criminal justice, in order to ensure that perpetrators of serious crimes are held accountable,

Reconciliation:  This will aim at rebuilding a life together as members of the community, and will also include the memorial as a souvenir which will help the next generations to learn a lesson from our past.

The participants requested that the debate should be fixed for next week.

Thanks