Following the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the AFC/M23 coalition during the Doha negotiations, aimed at addressing the root causes of the eastern DRC conflict, Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced he will be visiting the Great Lakes region this week.
The announcement came on Thursday, April 24, 2025, via Prevot’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, where he expressed his satisfaction with the Doha talks’ outcomes.
“I welcome the joint declarations by the DRC and M23/AFC on peace efforts and the ceasefire, opening the door to sustainable peace in eastern DRC,” wrote Minister Prevot on X.
“This is a significant step toward ending the violence.”
Minister Prevot, who has had tense exchanges with Rwanda in the past—especially after Belgium pushed for sanctions against Rwanda without acknowledging the root causes of the conflict in Congo—confirmed he would return to the region on Friday, April 25, 2025.
“Starting this Friday, I will visit the region to express full support for the process led by Qatar and regional bodies such as EAC and SADC,” he added.
This raises the question: What is really bringing Minister Prevot back to the region now?
Especially considering Belgium has previously been accused of advising the Congolese government not to engage in dialogue with M23 since the conflict reignited in eastern DRC.
