Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels sign declaration of principles for permanent ceasefire
DAKAR, Senegal — Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels on Saturday signed a declaration of principles in Qatar to end decades-long fighting in eastern Congo that commits them to a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive peace agreement to be signed in one month.
A final peace deal is to be signed no later than Aug. 18, and it “shall align with the Peace Agreement between Congo and Rwanda” facilitated by the U.S. in June, according to a copy of the declaration seen by The Associated Press.
The agreement of principles touches on most of the highlights of the peace deal Congo and Rwanda signed June 27. It is the first direct commitment by both side since the rebels seized two key cities in eastern Congo in a major advance.
Backed by neighboring Rwanda, the M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups fighting for control in Congo’s mineral-rich east. With 7 million people displaced in Congo, the U.N. has called the conflict in eastern Congo “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”
It was not immediately clear what the specific terms of a final peace agreement would be and what concessions would be made. M23 had been pushing for the release of its members held by Congo’s army, many of them facing the death sentence. Congo had requested the withdrawal of the rebels from seized territories.
A key issue has been whether Rwanda will pull their support for the rebels, including the thousands of troops that the United Nations experts said are in eastern Congo.
When Rwanda and Congo signed the peace deal in Washington, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said Rwanda agreed to lift its “defensive measures” — suggesting a reference to its troops eastern Congo — once Congo neutralizes an armed group whose members Kigali accuses of carrying out the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Analysts have say it is going to be difficult for the M23 rebels to withdraw from the eastern Congolese cities of Goma and Bukavu seized earlier this year and that it would depend on concessions Congolese authorities agree to make.
“We are on our knees”: U.S. tariffs devastate Lesotho’s garment workers
The government of the tiny African kingdom of Lesotho has declared a two-year state of disaster, as its once-thriving garment industry unravels in the wake of Trump's tariffs threats.
3 people are still missing from deadly floods in Texas county, down from nearly 100
Officials in a Texas hill country community pummeled by deadly flooding July 4 said Saturday that just three people remain missing, down from nearly 100, after people who had previously been reported missing have since been accounted for.
Cuts to public media will smash budgets of some local radio stations
Congress voted to claw back federal funding to public media. Some of those hit hardest include community radio stations in areas that voted for the president.
32 Palestinians killed trying to reach food distribution hubs, Gaza authorities say
Palestinians were shot dead during a food distribution on Saturday at a center run by a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, hospital officials said.
Police are investigating a man’s death after he was pulled into MRI machine
New York police said the 61-year-old man was wearing a large metal chain that caused him to be "drawn into the machine." The FDA warns that MRI scan create a "strong, static magnetic field."
Kiss cam incident at Coldplay concert highlights the technology’s awkward history
A couple embarrassed to be caught on the big screen cuddling at a Coldplay concert in Massachusetts this week sent the Internet into a frenzy. It's not the first time kiss cams have caused mishaps at stadium events.
