The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels signed a new peace framework on Saturday intended to end the conflict that devastated eastern Congo.

Since an initial agreement was signed in July, both sides have accused the other of breaching its conditions, and fighting has continued.

The DRC government said in a statement the new framework "aims to create, in the shortest time possible, the conditions for a real and measurable change for the people."

But M23 stressed that the deal was not a final peace agreement, but rather a framework outlining the measures required to reach one.

"There will be neither any change in the situation on the ground, nor any activity whatsoever, until the measures are debated, negotiated and discussed one by one and a final peace agreement is reached," the head of the M23 delegation, Benjamin Mbonimpa, said in a video posted on X.

What does the new agreement cover?

The framework agreement contains eight chapters.

Two of them — relating to the release of prisoners and the creation of a ceasefire oversight body — were previously signed back in September and October.

The other six chapters cover humanitarian access, restoring state control in rebel-held areas, and the resettlement of refugees, among other things.

These six chapters are due to be negotiated over the next two weeks, the Congolese government said.

Mediators admit slow progress

The deal was signed in Qatar, a country that acted as a mediator between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels, alongside the United States.

US President Donald Trump's envoy to Africa, Massad Boulos, said the agreement was "a starting point."

"Yes, people were expecting to see probably some immediate results on the ground, but this is a process... This is not a light switch that you just switch on and off," he told reporters after the signing in Doha.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi said Saturday's agreement was a step closer to lasting peace.

"Peace cannot be enforced by force, but is built through confidence, mutual respect and sincere commitment," he said.

The fight for control in eastern Congo

Backed by Rwanda, the M23 is the most prominent of the more than 100 armed groups that have been fighting for control of Congo's mineral-rich east for over a decade.

Thousands were killed in a lightning offensive by M23 in January and February, while more than 7 million people have been displaced over the decades of fighting, which has been described by the UN as "one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth."

Several agreements were reached in 2025 between the two sides but they were largely confidence building exercises that set out preconditions for future negotiations.

Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko