M23, Kinshasa agree to review 2009 agreements

M23 rebels mainly former DR Congo army soldiers who mutinied in April 2012, accusing the government of failing to fully implement the agreement that had integrated the CNDP fighters into the national army.

The Congolese rebel group, M23, and Kinshasa government on Wednesday agreed to review the agreement signed in 2009 between the government and the CNDP, the precursor of M23.

This is the first agreement to be signed by both parties since the beginning of negotiations in Kampala in December 2012.

M23 rebels mainly former DR Congo army soldiers who mutinied in April 2012, accusing the government of failing to fully implement the agreement that had integrated the CNDP fighters into the national army.

Ugandan Defence Minister, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, who is also the facilitator of the talks, described the signing as “a good step” towards achieving peace in eastern DR Congo.

The review will look at the clauses of the agreement that were implemented and violated by the government and the CNDP to help both parties reach a consensus for further negotiations. The rest of the peace talks, according to Dr. Kiyonga, will be conducted in four phases.

The first phase is the review of the agreement and the second is the discussion of security issues in the region. The third phase will review the social, political and economic concerns of both parties while the last phase would establish evaluation mechanisms for the final agreement.