The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement signed a Declaration of Principles in Doha on 19 July, committing to an immediate ceasefire and to conclude a comprehensive peace agreement by 18 August. The document, agreed after months of Qatari mediation, calls for the restoration of state authority over all Congolese territory and sets out a timetable for detailed talks no later than 8 August. Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi presided over the ceremony, which was also attended by the U.S. Presidential Envoy for African Affairs. The African Union Commission praised the deal as a “significant advance,” while French President Emmanuel Macron and other international partners said the accord rekindles hopes of stability in the Great Lakes region. Outstanding issues—among them rebel withdrawals, prisoner releases and the reopening of banks in areas held by M23—remain unresolved and are to be tackled in the forthcoming negotiations. Fighting since the rebels’ January offensive has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands, threatening to draw in neighbouring states and disrupt access to Congo’s cobalt, copper and lithium reserves. The Doha declaration builds on the U.S.-brokered peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda signed in Washington on 27 June, which the United Nations hailed as a major step toward ending a conflict that has persisted for three decades. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged all parties to honour both agreements and reaffirmed MONUSCO’s support for their implementation.