The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have called for a cease-fire in eastern Congo in a bid to end the latest deadly chapter in a three-decade conflict.
Presidents Félix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda committed to an “immediate and unconditional cease-fire,” according to a joint statement issued with Qatar, where the two leaders gathered for an unannounced meeting on Tuesday.
They did not say how the cease-fire would be carried out or monitored. But the meeting was the leaders’ most significant step since a Rwanda-backed armed group, called M23, captured eastern Congo’s two largest cities and large swathes of the territory in an offensive that began in January.
“This is the first time a concrete statement is coming from both leaders,” Oluwole Ojewale, a scholar with the Institute for Security Studies who focuses on Central Africa, said in an interview.
Mr. Ojewale said that the United States could have been in a position to convene peace talks, but given that it was not a priority for the Trump administration, Qatar stepped in. But he said the bigger failing belonged to the African Union, whose efforts to bring the two leaders together had been unsuccessful.
“It appears now that the countries that actually have the leverage to bring warring African leaders to the table are countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. — who are completely outside the shores of the continent,” he said.
The fighting in eastern Congo has displaced more than 700,000 people since January, according to the United Nations refugee agency, and killed thousands of others.
The leaders’ surprise meeting came a day after the European Union announced sanctions on the Rwandan government and military officials over the backing of M23. Rwanda retaliated by severing diplomatic ties with Belgium, a country that was once the colonial ruler in both Congo and Rwanda, and which has been a leading voice for sanctions on Rwanda over its involvement in the conflict.
Mr. Tshisekedi and Mr. Kagame said in the statement that they wanted to “establish solid foundations for lasting peace” in eastern Congo, where three decades of fighting over ethnic tensions and access to land have killed millions of people.
M23, a group created in 2012, is armed and commanded by Rwanda’s army, according to the United Nations, the United States and the European Union. Rwanda denies backing the group and says that the violence in neighboring Congo is threatening its security.
M23 now controls Goma and Bukavu, two key hubs on the border with Rwanda.
Whether M23 will heed the calls for a cease-fire remains to be seen. It has denied any affiliation with Rwanda’s government, and canceled a meeting with Congo’s government that was also scheduled for Tuesday.
Neither Congo’s weak army nor international pressure, including a unanimous condemnation from the U.N. Security Council, has been able to stop the group’s advance. M23, which has 6,000 to 9,000 soldiers, according to U.N. estimates, now controls an area the size of Louisiana in eastern Congo that is rich in gold and other minerals like coltan.
