MONUSCO Requested to Deploy Troops to Uvira After Qatar Talks

Uvira DRC February 3, 2026 - At a meeting held in Qatar, participants requested that MONUSCO (UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC) deploy troops to the city of Uvira, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. The request was made at the conclusion of a meeting monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the AFC/M23 alliance, under the Ceasefire Oversight and Verification Mechanism facilitated by Qatar. The meeting brought together both parties as part of ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC. It was also announced that the DRC government and AFC/M23 signed a document outlining broad guidelines on the issues to be discussed and the modalities for negotiations, approved by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). In a statement issued on the night of February 2, 2026, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said both sides renewed their commitment to the ceasefire and the principles signed on November 15, 2025, in Doha. “Both sides confirmed their commitment to implementing all agreed conditions in support of the peace agreement,” the ministry stated. The meeting was attended by representatives of the United States, the African Union (AU) as observers, and Togo as the AU-appointed mediator, alongside officials from MONUSCO and the ICGLR. Participants reviewed the security situation in the DRC and the ongoing challenges to peace, stressing the need for concrete measures to improve monitoring and information-sharing. MONUSCO and ICGLR strategies for ceasefire monitoring were also examined, with participants reaffirming their support for both institutions. MONUSCO was specifically asked to deploy troops to Uvira to monitor compliance with the ceasefire and to establish communication channels to ensure the effectiveness of monitoring operations. On December 10, AFC/M23 announced it had captured Uvira in South Kivu. However, the group’s last fighters were reportedly killed in the city on January 17, 2026. AFC/M23 stated that it withdrew from Uvira at the request of the international community, emphasizing that its priority is peace, unlike what it describes as the DRC government’s preference for renewed conflict.