Qatar’s Emir Visits DR Congo After Rwanda Stop, Seeks Progress in Eastern Peace Talks

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this week, arriving in Kinshasa a day after meeting Rwanda’s president as part of a regional mediation push aimed at ending fighting in eastern DRC.

On his first official trip to the country, the emir was greeted in Kinshasa by President Félix Tshisekedi and senior officials. During the brief state visit, Doha and Kinshasa signed several protocols on economic and political cooperation, underlining growing bilateral ties.

The visit followed a new framework agreement between the Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement. U.S. and Qatari officials described the framework as an important milestone, while stressing it is only one of several steps needed to reach a lasting settlement.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied accusations that it supports M23. The rebel group captured the eastern city of Goma in January and has since expanded its control across parts of North Kivu and South Kivu, contributing to a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Reporter Mohamed Vall, who covered the visit in Kinshasa, said the emir met President Tshisekedi at the airport and later at the presidential palace. Vall noted that the emir’s overnight stop in Kigali was widely seen as a symbolic move to link the two capitals and encourage reconciliation.

Shafi bin Newaimi al-Hajri, Qatar’s acting charge d’affaires in Kinshasa, described the visit as particularly significant. He highlighted that the DRC opened an embassy in Doha in 2022 and that Qatar established its mission in Kinshasa in May 2025, reflecting deepening diplomatic ties.

Qatar has hosted multiple rounds of direct talks between the DRC government and M23 since April, but negotiations have largely focused on preconditions and confidence-building measures. In July the parties signed a declaration of principles that left many core issues unresolved; in October they agreed on mechanisms to monitor a potential ceasefire.

Analysts and diplomats warn that even if the framework agreement holds, it does not address the wider threat from numerous other armed groups operating in eastern DRC. Violence has continued amid accusations from both Kinshasa and M23 of violating earlier accords and delaying substantive negotiations.

What to watch next

Key next steps include implementation and independent monitoring of the framework agreement, expanded humanitarian access to affected provinces, and broader negotiations that include other armed groups and local communities. Regional engagement from neighbouring capitals and sustained international support will be important to turn agreements on paper into durable peace on the ground.