| …sometimes referred to as the Congolese Revolutionary Army. Founded in 2012 as a Rwandan Tutsi sock puppet, which no doubt seemed a good idea at the time, in less than a year the Congolese army defeated them, and then Rwanda publicly stepped back in response to international pressure. M23 started acting up again in late 2022, again at Rwandan instigation... |
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
’s capital, for talks with the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material...
(DRC).
Speaking at a presser in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, which has been under M23 control since late January, M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa stressed that the two-member team was tasked "only with discussing the mechanisms for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners."
Talks between the DRC government and the M23 resumed this week in Doha under Qatari mediation, following missed earlier deadlines, according to Radio Okapi, a United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
-backed outlet in the DRC.
The Declaration of Principles signed by both sides on July 19 in Doha called for negotiations toward a peace deal to begin by Aug. 8 and conclude by Aug. 18. Though the timetable lapsed, Qatar circulated a draft agreement last week to both parties.
"When we finish this stage, we can move on to something else," Bisimwa said, acknowledging "blockages" in the Doha process. The M23 had earlier insisted that provisions of the declaration, particularly the release of its members detained by the DRC government, be implemented before broader peace talks could advance.
The DRC government has yet to respond to the M23’s latest remarks but has reiterated its "firm commitment" to constructive dialogue while underscoring its determination to defend national illusory sovereignty and restore lasting peace in the east. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreed in Doha.
Since January, the security situation has tanked sharply, with the M23 seizing several strategic towns, including Goma and Bukavu, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
According to the United Nations, more than 27.8 million people in the DRC face food insecurity, with over seven million internally displaced, many of them multiple times.