Goma: The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) have deployed a joint exploratory team to eastern Congo to assess conditions and prepare for the rollout of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism, a joint statement said on Tuesday. The team is set to visit Uvira in the South Kivu province from February 23-27 to evaluate security, political, and logistical conditions ahead of the monitoring mechanism for an Angolan-mediated ceasefire between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebel coalition.

According to Anadolu Agency, the deployment followed consultations with Congolese President and ICGLR Chair Felix Tshisekedi. The joint mission's primary objective is to ensure that future ceasefire monitoring is 'credible, safe, and operationally feasible.' Vivian van de Perre, the interim head of MONUSCO, emphasized that effective ceasefire monitoring aims to reduce violence and create the necessary space for a durable political solution.

Van de Perre stated that MONUSCO will concentrate solely on monitoring the ceasefire in South Kivu, unlike in North Kivu and Ituri, where the mission also focuses on civilian protection. Despite a ceasefire between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels proposed by Angolan President Joao Lourenco earlier this month, effective from February 18, recent days have seen intensified clashes in eastern Congo, displacing thousands of people from their homes.

The M23 rebel group has been central to the conflict in eastern Congo. Since its resurgence in late 2021, the group has achieved a series of battlefield victories, capturing several strategic towns in the eastern provinces, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu, which were seized early in 2025.