WHY Claude Ibalanky’s role in AFC/M23 Switzerland talks matters

Claude Ibalanky’s inclusion on AFC/M23’s delegation list for the latest round of peace talks in Switzerland gives the revived Doha process added political significance. The former ambassador-at-large to President Félix Tshisekedi is listed among the experts in the rebel alliance’s team as negotiations with the Congolese government resume outside Qatar after the talks were relocated.

The development matters because Ibalanky is not entering the story as an unknown figure. In late January, he was already seen in Goma alongside Corneille Nangaa, where he said he had not yet joined AFC/M23 and described himself instead as someone who could serve as an external consultant in search of peace. That earlier appearance had already raised questions about how far he had moved from the presidential camp.

His current place on the delegation list suggests a more formal political role in a mediation track that both rebel and diplomatic sources say is resuming in Switzerland this week. According to reporting on the restart of the talks, AFC/M23 submitted a 12-member list to Qatari mediation, including negotiators and technical experts, with Ibalanky named among those expected to take part.

The significance also lies in his background. As reported when he surfaced in Goma in January, Ibalanky previously served as coordinator of the mechanism monitoring the Addis Ababa peace framework before being appointed ambassador-at-large in May 2023. He later launched the REPOP political coalition in support of Tshisekedi’s second term, making his appearance on the AFC/M23 side especially notable in the context of eastern DRC diplomacy.

More broadly, the shift of the talks themselves is important. Additional reporting on the Switzerland round indicates the venue change was tied to wider regional tensions, while the process continues under Qatari mediation. That means Ibalanky’s presence comes at a moment when the negotiations are being recast not only as a security dialogue, but also as a politically sensitive test of who now speaks for competing Congolese interests in the search for a settlement.