DRC-Rwanda: After Tshisekedi and Kagame, Qatar Hosts the M23 in Doha

Following the meeting between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame on March 18 in Doha, Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani continues his diplomatic engagement in the ongoing security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since March 27, several delegations have arrived in the Qatari capital, including one representing the March 23 Movement (M23), led by Bertrand Bisimwa, head of its political wing, and Colonel John Imani Nzenze, head of the group’s military intelligence. Both are under European Union sanctions and are subject to arrest warrants issued by Congolese authorities.

Their presence in Doha—alongside Congolese and Rwandan officials—has drawn sharp criticism from Kinshasa, which views the initiative as an attempt to grant diplomatic legitimacy to what it considers a terrorist proxy. For the Congolese government, M23 is merely a front. According to the DRC’s ambassador to the UN, half of Rwanda’s Defence Forces (RDF) are currently deployed on Congolese soil, operating under the guise of M23. Kigali, in this view, commands all major military decisions, while the M23 plays an executor role.

To deflect mounting international pressure, Rwanda appears to be promoting non-Tutsi figures such as Bisimwa and Nzenze within M23, in what many analysts see as a strategy to reframe the conflict as an internal Congolese issue—thereby obscuring Rwanda’s direct involvement.

Meanwhile, Corneille Nangaa, coordinator of the Rwanda-backed Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), has been pushed into the background. Once introduced as the political face of the movement, Nangaa now appears sidelined, with operational control concentrated entirely in Kigali.

On March 27, during a UN Security Council session, the head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, described the situation as one of “de facto occupation,” citing the installation of parallel administrations and the militarization of civilian zones. While countries like the United States, France, and the United Kingdom called for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan forces and the M23, no concrete measures have yet been enforced.

In this context, Qatar’s mediation—though bold—is increasingly seen as disconnected from the reality on the ground. By hosting M23 representatives under international sanctions and without demanding preconditions such as troop withdrawals, Doha risks appearing to legitimize Rwanda’s military gains.

For the Congolese people, caught between a weakened state, an indecisive international community, and a foreign-backed rebellion operating openly, the path to peace remains distant. The war, now entrenched across both Kivu provinces, has become a regional crisis with no clear end in sight.