DRC ceasefire verification mechanism stalled after officer expulsion

The expanded joint verification mechanism (MCVE+), established nearly four months ago in Montreux to oversee the ceasefire between Kinshasa and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, remains paralyzed. The primary culprit? The expulsion of one of the three Congolese officers deployed in mid-July to Goma as representatives of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). The M23 accused the officer of previously serving in military intelligence. What are Kinshasa’s defenses? And how is this impasse affecting the ground situation?