Peace agreement | Congo: "The situation has deteriorated drastically"

With Qatar as mediator, an unexpected peace agreement was reached between the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebels just over a month ago . It was then signed in Washington on April 25. Prior to that, peace negotiations had failed at various levels. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who supports the M23, didn't even show up for the signing of a peace agreement in Angola at the end of November 2024. Has the peace held so far?

There is no peace in eastern Congo. Not only the M23 rebels and the Congolese army are active in the region, but also around 200 non-state armed groups. They participate in the exploitation of natural resources, such as gold, tantalum, tungsten, and tin, and secure the region's mines in return for payment. They have no interest in cities like Goma or Bukavu, which were captured by the M23. The fighting surrounding the mining business continues. To achieve peace in eastern Congo, at least the most important of these armed groups would have to be included. They are the missing pieces in a peace puzzle. The big question is how a deal for access to natural resources in exchange for peace could be negotiated. How can the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, which is behind the M23, achieve peace as long as so many armed groups are active? This is also why the government of Joseph Kabila from 2001 to 2019, which preceded the government of Félix Tshisekedi in office since 2019, repeatedly failed.

So a more comprehensive peace agreement is needed than the one reached in April between DR Congo and the M23?

Yes, many more leaders of armed groups must be brought to the table, as must neighboring countries—not just Rwanda, but also Uganda and Burundi, which have troops present in eastern Congo at the invitation of the DRC government. It's very complicated. Negotiations within the framework of the Luanda Process and the Nairobi Process failed to bring peace to eastern Congo. The former involved talks between the governments of the DRC and Rwanda, the latter direct negotiations between Congo's warring parties. Whether Qatar, as a mediator with US support, will pursue a different approach than Angola or Kenya remains unclear.

The M23 rebels clearly have the upper hand at the moment. Since the beginning of the year, they have captured a large swathe of territory along the border with neighboring Rwanda, including two cities with a population of one million: Goma and Bukavu. They are in the process of establishing a state within a state there, collecting taxes from the population. How do you assess this development?

As a non-governmental organization, we ourselves depend on cooperation with the authorities, for example, when it comes to visa issuance. The government in Kinshasa remains our point of contact until the M23 is authorized. Negotiating taxes with the M23 is sometimes difficult. Where we step in for the government, providing aid, we refuse to pay taxes.

How has the humanitarian situation in eastern Congo developed since the M23 took power?

The situation has deteriorated dramatically. The takeover of Goma, with its two million inhabitants, and Bukavu, with its nearly 1.5 million, has left many more people in need of assistance, as many residents of these cities were affected by the offensive. In 2024, around 5.6 million internally displaced people in the Congo were dependent on assistance; now that number is 7.8 million. The situation is exacerbated by rising needs and cuts in international funding. As is well known, the largest donor, the US development agency USAID, has also cut its funding for the DRC. Around 70 percent of humanitarian aid in the Congo came from the US. You can imagine what this means for the 7.8 million displaced people if they do not have secure access to food, healthcare, and drinking water. We will be forced to cut the supply of drinking water and latrines. This increases the risk of cholera, measles, and measles.

With less funding coming in, have working conditions for Oxfam also deteriorated?

Yes. With USAID's help, we reached 750,000 people; all funding was cut. USAID's budget cuts are life-threatening for half a million people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Many programs can only continue with severe restrictions. We still have the capacity and the plans to help, but without sufficient funding, it will be difficult. First came the shock of the M23 offensive, then the USAID cuts. We had to lay off staff, and their families are affected, as are those in need.

Who could step in for USAID? The UN, the EU?

We appeal to the international community. The UN is in a similar situation to the aid organizations and is facing cuts. We hope that the EU will become more involved than before. The EU has already been an important donor, especially large countries like Germany, and in Europe the UK is also joining them. They should increase their contributions now that the US is no longer there. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which there is fierce competition for funds in view of the major challenges: from the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza to the wars in Sudan and eastern Congo. And in many countries in the Global South, the consequences of Covid have not yet been overcome. In this respect, there is a great need for the EU and its member states to increase funding for humanitarian aid. Anything else will only exacerbate the crisis.