REFLEXIVE PEACE PRACTICE (RPP) PROJECT

The DRC government and M23 signed a commitment to a ceasefire agreement in Doha on 15–16 September, following months of Qatar-facilitated negotiations, while Rwanda and the DRC convened in Geneva on 16–17 September for the seventh Joint Security Coordination Mechanism session to advance Washington Accords implementation. These parallel processes, supported by the United States, Qatar, Togo, and the African Union, represent the most significant peace momentum since renewed hostilities began in 2021. However, M23 continued consolidating a parallel governance and taxation system across eastern DRC, imposing fees on residents and businesses while generating revenue from coltan mining in Rubaya. In Ituri, ADF rebels released 8 hostages on 16 September, but approximately 30 others remained missing. The Ebola outbreak expanded to a seventh province (Sud-Ubangi), with 7,258 confirmed cases and 3,510 deaths as of 7 September.