The talks are set to take place in Washington with the United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to witness the ceremony.

The long-anticipated deal is being touted as a potential turning point in efforts to end the renewed violence in the eastern DRC, where armed conflict has displaced thousands and undermined regional stability.

However, Channel Africa’s correspondent in the region, Jimmy Shukrani Bakonera, reports that the M23 rebel group, one of the central actors in the conflict, is not party to the agreement. In an interview with one of the group’s Spokespersons, Bakonera was told that M23 had not been involved in any consultations or negotiations leading up to the proposed accord.

“So this peace agreement, it is for the local people, it’s welcomed. And until now, the M23 is just talking about the restoration of peace,” said Bakonera.

“On Thursday I talked to one of the Spokesperson of M23 and he told me, ‘What we want is to restore peace in the areas we are controlling now.’ But something just to say, there is no communication with M23 about this peace agreement. It’s between Rwanda and DRC. It does not concern M23.”

--ChannelAfrica--