The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the M23 group have signed an agreement for the monitoring of a potential "permanent ceasefire", a step towards potentially ending the fighting in eastern DRC.
The agreement on Tuesday is a sign of progress in Qatar-mediated talks after the two sides missed an August 18 deadline to finalise a peace deal.
The DRC government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, confirmed the agreement had been signed.
Qatar has hosted multiple rounds of direct talks between the DRC government and M23, dating back to April, but these talks have so far focused largely on preconditions and confidence-building measures.
The ceasefire monitoring agreement was one of two key steps to complete before talks towards a comprehensive peace agreement could begin, the sources said.
Under the terms of the agreement, a ceasefire monitoring body will be formed featuring representatives of DRC, M23 and the 12-country International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), according to the copy seen by Reuters.
This body will be mandated to investigate reports of alleged ceasefire violations and is expected to meet within no more than seven days after its creation.
The second was a deal on a prisoner-of-war exchange that was signed in September, though the exchange itself has not happened.
M23 has not commented on the agreement yet.
UN mission
The UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO, will be an "additional participant" and will "provide logistical coordination".
M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters earlier this month that he opposed any operational role for MONUSCO in ceasefire monitoring, describing it as a belligerent actor because its mandate includes supporting the DRC's army.
Representatives from the African Union, Qatar and the United States will participate as observers, the copy of the agreement said.
Rwanda-backed M23 staged a lightning offensive in eastern DRC this year, seizing the region's two largest cities and spurring fighting that has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
Rwanda has long denied backing M23 and says its forces act in self-defence. But a group of UN experts said in a report in July that Kigali exercised command and control over the rebels.
US mediation
US President Donald Trump's administration brokered a separate peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda in June.
Trump has said he wants to bring peace to the region and facilitate investments in its minerals sector.
Trump has said the war is over, but Huang Xia, the UN special envoy for the Great Lakes region, told the UN Security Council on Monday that fighting continues.
"While all these African and international peace efforts are commendable and promising, they have so far failed to deliver on their promises – the agreed ceasefire is not being respected," Huang said.
"After a brief lull, the parties to the conflict have regrouped and resumed military operations."
