This week, peace talks between DRC government and M23 postponed. Saudi Arabia and US call on Sudan’s warring parties to resume peace talks. UN reports almost 400,000 Palestinians displaced after Gaza ceasefire breakdown.
Peace Talks Between DRC Government and M23 Postponed
Peace talks planned between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and M23 rebels have been postponed. The talks, scheduled for April 9 in Doha, Qatar, have been postponed without a future date set, sources from both parties told Reuters.
After M23 captured Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC, on January 27, nearly 3,000 people were killed in fighting in the following weeks. More than 500,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Soon after, M23 captured Bukavu, the region’s second largest city, as well.
The conflict continues to impact every aspect of daily life for civilians. With a surge in theft, fishermen are no longer fishing at night on Lake Kivu due to the fear of being mistaken for thieves.
DRC’s neighbor, Rwanda, has actively backed M23, as revealed in an investigation commissioned by the UN Security Council, however, Rwanda denies supporting the group.
Saudi Arabia and US Call on Sudan’s Warring Parties to Resume Peace Talks
Saudi Arabia and the US are calling on Sudan’s warring parties, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to resume peace talks. On April 9, Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
The two diplomats called on the SAF and RSF to “return to peace talks, protect civilians, open humanitarian corridors, and return to civilian governance,” read a statement by the State Department.
This development came after last week, the SAF said that it had taken back full control of the capital Khartoum after weeks of attacks by the paramilitaries, France 24 reported.
April 15 will be the two-year anniversary of the start of Sudan’s civil war, which was born out of a power struggle between SAF leader Abel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The conflict has left the country in what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described as the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine.”
UN Reports Almost 400,000 Palestinians Displaced After Gaza Ceasefire Breakdown
On April 7, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that nearly 400,000 Palestinians had been displaced following the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza. Dujarric said, “Overall, we estimate that nearly 400,000 people have been displaced yet again since the breakdown of the ceasefire. That’s 18% of all Palestinians in Gaza.”
She added that survivors are being,“ displaced repeatedly and forced into an ever shrinking space where their basic needs just cannot be met.” She reported out that all attempts to pick up commodities at crossings had been denied, noting that for the past month, Gaza had had no vaccines, food, fuel, or supplies going in.
This development comes as Israel and Hamas have continued to disagree on the terms of a ceasefire. Last week, international media reported that Hamas favored a ceasefire put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt, while Israel has made a counter-proposal in full coordination with the US, which Hamas has decided not to engage with.
On April 7, YNet reported that Egypt had presented a revised ceasefire plan which would include the release of eight Israeli hostages—with one hostage released per day over the course of a week— in exchange for a 40- to 70-day ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners, and the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Palestinians and Israelis have both suffered heartbreaking losses from the war since October 7, with over 1,200 people killed in Israel, and nearly 50,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to the strip’s health ministry.
Keywords: DRC, Congo, Sudan, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, ceasefire, peace talks, conflict, conflict resolution, peace
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is a journalist in Bangkok. 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.
