Another Truce Established in the DRC

After a ministerial meeting between Rwandan and Congolese authorities in Luanda, Angola, a ceasefire has been established in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) between the DRC government, and the DRC's M23 rebels. The ceasefire has been welcomed by France, Belgium, the UN, and more as a step of progress towards establishing a longer-term peace in the eastern DRC..A Step in the Right Direction.The new ceasefire, mediated by Angola, is set to go into effect on August 4th at midnight. The ceasefire is to effectively take over from a prior one mediated by the US that is set to expire on August 3rd at 11:59 p.m...The American-mediated ceasefire had initially gone into effect on July 5th, creating a comparative calm in the eastern DRC, where over 120 different armed groups operate, when compared to the chaos and violence of the last several months..This new ceasefire was negotiated as a part of the Luanda process. Originally created in 2022, the Luanda process has aimed to ease tensions and create peace between the DRC and Rwanda, the alleged suppliers to the M23. For a time the process had largely stalled, and tensions between the two nations rose exponentially. However, recent efforts have been made to resume progress on the process..The establishment of a ceasefire is a significant step toward moving the process forward in creating peace between Rwanda and the DRC. The M23 released a statement saying that while they were not a party to negotiations, they would adhere to and respect the terms of the ceasefire..This mirrors their statements regarding previous ceasefires established by the Luanda process and the Nairobi process, a secondary process that was aimed at easing tensions between and disarming the myriad of armed groups in the DRC, that DRC President Felix Tshisekedi recently described as "almost dead.".With the effective halt of the Nairobi process, the DRC government has put their hope into the Luanda process for establishing peace..The ceasefire established has no apparent end date, and is to be monitored by an "Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism.".While the ministerial meetings and ceasefire are clear signs of progress, there is still missing a face-to-face meeting between President Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, President Paul Kagame. The two agreed in March to meet face-to-face in a meeting mediated by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, however this meeting has yet to take place. Further, the date for the meeting has not been set..In order to truly progress the Luanda process, this meeting will need to take place..Prior to July's ceasefire, a ceasefire had been established by the US in December of 2023. This ceasefire ended in mid-January when the DRC, alongside an intervention force from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), began an offensive against the M23..The offensive quickly backfired, and the DRC was pushed out of a significant amount of territory as the M23 began a counteroffensive, claiming to be attempting to "silence" the heavy weaponry of the DRC that they said were being used in attacks against civilians..Though they had set out to "destroy" the M23 with the SADC, the M23's counteroffensive has likely forced the DRC into a position of negotiation..July's ceasefire, when established, was supposed to facilitate the return of civilian populations to areas they had been displaced from. Since fighting resumed in January hundreds of thousands of people were displaced, which was in addition to the millions displaced in prior fighting, as well as fighting ongoing in other regions in the east..The M23 claimed that this return was not occurring, blaming the DRC government for civilians not returning to their homes..The new ceasefire is also supposed to facilitate the return of civilians, however, it remains to be seen if this will actually occur..Underneath the Surface.During the current ceasefire the M23 had accused the government of violating the ceasefire on at least one occasion. Despite the alleged violation, the ceasefire has held between the M23 and the government. However, there have been repeated reports of clashes between the M23 and Wazalendo militias, including earlier today, August 2nd..According to local sources, the M23 has managed to push the Wazalendo out of the Kiseguro, Nyabanira, Kasave, Nyakahanga, and Katwiguro localities. Clashes had taken place on several occasions in July as well, though the M23 had reportedly been repulsed by the Wazalendo during those clashes..The Wazalendo, or the Voluntary Combatants for the Defence of the Homeland, are meant to be a civil defence militia. They were formed in May of 2023 after President Felix Tshisekedi called for the formation of "vigilance groups against the expansionist ambitions" of the M23 in November of 2022..They oftentimes clash with the M23 for control of territory, and cooperate with the government during combat operations and larger battles..Though they are government sanctioned, they are not a part of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), and thus the ceasefire between the M23 and the DRC still technically stands. Compared to before the ceasefire, the clashes between the M23 and the Wazalendo have been restricted in frequency and scale..Further, it is worth noting that the established ceasefire is only between the M23 and the FARDC. As such, violence from other groups, such as the Islamic State aligned Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and CODECO, is ongoing.