Description: Official sources from both Congo and the M23 camps have stated that Doha scheduled negotiations for this week were postponed indefinitely. The sources haven’t cited the reasons behind the delay, however, speculations arose around logistical causes as well as travel plans for the official representatives. Qatari brokered peace negotiations started last week when Congolese government officials held discreet meetings with M23 representatives, which marked a groundbreaking development in the decades long conflict. The conflict embroiled two key issues, the fallout from the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and the recent rare earth mineral race which also unfolded in the eastern occupied parts of the DRC controlled by the rebels.
Impact: The delay in the peace talks could stipulate another negative development which could see both sides returning to armed fighting and plunging the DRC into another cycle of violence and humanitarian crisis. Undisclosed reasons behind the delay could signal that the peace talks are influenced by various regional and international powers with business interests in the region, which are covertly battling for access to DRC’s rare earth mineral deposits. DRC represents the most recent battleground for the US and China, catalyzed by the global economic upheaval. Qatar would remain diplomatically invested in the process as the country also aims at extending their soft power influence in both Africa and the Middle East. Longer delay in the peace campaigned process could see the war spreading in neighboring countries as Burundi, Uganda, Chad and Rwanda have all vested interests in the conflict. The security and humanitarian situation remains critical as many hope diplomatic efforts would put resolution plans back on the negotiating agenda.