This week, a new roadmap for peace talks in DRC. Recent attack highlights dangers to peacekeepers in South Sudan. Nine years after expulsion, Rohnigyas demand a safe return to Myanmar.
A New Roadmap for Peace Talks in DRC
On August 23, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the M23 armed group released a statement saying they had agreed on a roadmap for peace talks. The statement followed five days of talks in Switzerland, which were attended by the governments of DRC, Qatar, the US, the Republic of Togo, the African Union (AU) Commission, and host Switzerland.
The new roadmap adds to the US-brokered framework signed in 2025, outlining steps and timelines for negotiations and implementations. Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO is also due to support a ceasefire monitoring mechanism. The statement noted, however, that both parties were also committed to “flexibility and creativity.”
Still, many analysts note that implementation will be more difficult on the ground. Conflict analyst Cliffton Chifuwe, executive director of the Centre for Peace Research and Advocacy (CPRA), a local NGO that focuses on conflict management, agrees with that assessment, notes to DW the presence of multiple armed groups in the area, the deep level of mistrust between DRC and Rwanda, and competition over eastern Congo’s mineral wealth.
Recent Attack Highlights Dangers to Peacekeepers in South Sudan
On August 24, unidentified gunmen killed two UN peacekeepers in Jonglei state, South Sudan, highlighting dangers to peacekeepers in the country. The UN reported that the patrol by the peacekeeping mission in the country, UNMISS, was attacked on the way to Pajut, a remote area in the eastern region.
The attack came in the midst of renewed conflict in South Sudan between the military, loyal to president Salva Kiir, and insurgents believed to be allied with the suspended vice-president Riek Machar. The country has roughly 330,000 refugees and asylum-seekers (mainly from Sudan), and 2 million internally displaced persons due to conflict.
Nine Years After Expulsion, Rohingyas Demand Safe Return to Myanmar
Nine years after Myanmar’s military launched a deadly counter-insurgency and ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya ethnic minority group in August 2017, Rohingyas are demanding a safe return to Rakhine state.
On August 25, tens of thousands of Rohingyas in around 30 refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, demonstrated demanding a safe return to their homes, as well as against dire conditions.
Demonstrators held rallies, discussions, and prayers were held across camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf, honoring relatives killed in the 2017 crackdown. The United Council of Rohingya (UCR) refugee group said it organized the rally to “remember the atrocities committed” and call attention to the “ongoing humanitarian crisis.”
When Myanmar’s military launched its brutal counter-insurgency and ethnic cleansing campaign in August 2017, more than 750,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh, joining earlier arrivals and forming the world’s largest refugee settlement. Today, over 1.2 million Rohingyas live in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char in extremely dense camps marked by poverty, trauma, insecurity, and restricted mobility.
Keywords: DRC, DR Congo, Congo, South Sudan, Myanmar, roadmap, refugees, return, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, Rohingyas
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
