Although progress has been made through peace initiatives, such as the Washington Agreement signed on 27 June between the DRC and Rwanda, and the Doha Declaration of Principles signed on 19 July between the Congo River/M23 Alliance and the Congolese Government under Qatari mediation, further efforts are still needed to achieve lasting and sustainable peace.

“While these African and international peace efforts are commendable and promising, they have not yet delivered on their promises: the agreed ceasefire is not being respected”, he said.

For decades, armed groups have plagued the eastern DRC. However, the situation has sharply deteriorated since January 2025, when M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, captured key cities in the Kivu provinces. Rwanda has denied that it provides military support to the rebels.

Since the start of the year, more than 1.6 million people have been newly displaced, with over 68% of these displacements attributed to ongoing conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

UN calls for immediate ceasefire

Mr. Xia praised the United States and Qatar for their tireless efforts in facilitating peace negotiations and expressed hope that talks would soon resume, leading to the adoption of a lasting peace agreement.

“The humanitarian issue remains catastrophic”, he stressed, urging all parties to work hand in hand to prioritise an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire”.

In the same vein, France urged the adoption of Security Council resolution 2773 (2025), which reaffirms the sovereignty of the DRC and calls for an immediate end to hostilities by the M23 rebel group.

“Resolution 2773 must be fully implemented, particularly with regard to the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from Congolese territory and the cessation of their support for the M23”, urged French ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont.

Lasting peace, Mr. Xia emphasised, requires addressing both the root and structural causes of the conflict.

In this effort, the 2013 Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, designed to address chronic instability in the DRC, continues to serve as a key instrument for guiding dialogue, reconciliation, and reform processes.