In a significant development toward ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo, the Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 have agreed to establish an oversight body to monitor a potential permanent ceasefire. The agreement, mediated by Qatar, was signed in Doha on Tuesday, as confirmed by Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya and M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka on social platform X. The oversight body will include representatives from Congo, M23, and the 12-country International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, with the U.N. peacekeeping mission MONUSCO providing logistical support. The body is tasked with investigating alleged ceasefire violations and is expected to convene within seven days of its formation. This marks a critical step in ongoing peace efforts, which had stalled in recent weeks after both sides missed an August 18 deadline to finalize a comprehensive peace deal. The conflict, fueled by control over Congo’s mineral-rich east, has displaced 7 million people and been described by the U.N. as one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. Earlier this year, M23 escalated tensions by seizing two key cities in eastern Congo, further complicating peace negotiations.