DRC and M23 rebels agree ceasefire deal

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda backed M23 rebels agreed to a permanent ceasefire 'in principle', raising hopes that the two warring parties could end over three decades of conflict in eastern DRC. We breakdown the terms of the agreement, and the hurdles that still remain.

Also in the programme: how AI virtual assistants come unstuck by regional accents; and researchers in Canada discover that all living being emit a very feint light - or 'aura'.

Joining presenter Paul Henley are Melanie Garson, Associate Professor in International Conflict Resolution & International Security at University College London, and Nicki Kindersley, senior lecturer in African history at Cardiff University.

(Picture: Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi's high representative Sumbu Sita Mambu, Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi and Benjamin Mbonimpa, who heads the M23 delegation to Doha attend a signing ceremony of a declaration of principles to end fighting in eastern Congo between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the M23 rebel group, in Doha, Qatar, July 19, 2025. REUTERS)