This week in peace #58: November 15

This week, Qatar says it won’t mediate an Israel-Gaza ceasefire until both sides show “good faith.” More South Sudan peace talks planned in Nairobi. DRC’s Amani Festival canceled over security.

Qatar says it won’t mediate Israel-Gaza ceasefire until both sides show “good faith”

Qatar says it won’t mediate an Israel-Gaza ceasefire until both sides show “good faith.” A diplomatic source told The Guardian, “As long as there is a refusal to negotiate a deal in good faith, they cannot continue to mediate.” 

The source said that the warring parties were more concerned with “political optics” than security. It added that they had attempted to undermine the process “by backing out from some of the commitments.”

Qatar has been working with the US and Egypt on talks for months without seeing results. Earlier this month, international media reported that Qatar’s government had agreed to expel Hamas following a US request to do so. However, the Qatari ministry has said that these reports are inaccurate, without explaining how, Reuters reported. 

Health authorities in Gaza say the death toll there has risen to over 43,500 people, with 10,000 more believed to be dead and uncounted under rubble, according to Reuters earlier this week.

More South Sudan peace talks planned in Nairobi

More South Sudan peace talks were set to take place in Nairobi on Thursday, diplomatic sources told Sudan Tribune. The goal of the talks is to bring factions into the peace process that did not sign the 2018 peace agreement. 

The source added that the talks are meant to be These factions include the National Salvation Front (NAS) led by Pagan Amum, the South Sudan United Front (SSUF) led by former army chief Paul Malong, and the Real Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (R-SPLM) led by Stephen Buay.

Although the 2018 peace agreement ended a five-year civil war that killed over 400,000 people, talks stalled after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir’s former rival, Riek Machar’s party, withdrew in July.

The Tumaini initiative peace talks sought to help non-signatory groups maintain peace. Participants in the talks, however, worried that a new security law would allow authorities to detain people without warrants.

DRC’s Amani Festival canceled over security

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Amani Festival, which promotes peace, has been canceled over security concerns. The mayor of Goma said this week that the festival was “not authorized” for “security reasons,” AFP reported. Goma, located in eastern DRC, is situated in the middle of fighting between armed groups. 

The festival draws musicians from across the DRC, and the world, with organizers saying that it boosts the local economy, as well as helping people cope with trauma. The word amani means peace in Swahili.

Last month, Peace News Network (PNN) spoke to displaced civilians in Goma about the human suffering caused by the country’s conflict and failed peace efforts between the government and M23 rebels. The interviewees discussed the violence they have witnessed, and their living conditions in displacement camps. They explained the necessity of peace in order to help the country develop economically, and socio-culturally. To watch the video, click here. 

Both M23 and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have committed grave war crimes and violations of international law, including unlawful killings and sexual violence. DRC’s crisis has left over 7 million people internally displaced, accounting for 10 percent of the world’s internally displaced people (IDPs).