Geneva talks put Rwanda-DRC peace deal to the test

Officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are owed to reconvene successful Geneva connected September 16 and 17 for talks connected the implementation of the 2025 Washington Accords.

The two-day gathering of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) volition bring unneurotic representatives of the 2 countries, with mediators from the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission. The mechanics was established to show and coordinate the implementation of information commitments betwixt the 2 countries.

The gathering comes arsenic warring continues successful the eastbound DRC and cardinal commitments nether the bid process stay unresolved.

The bid statement betwixt the DRC and Rwanda was signed successful Washington, DC connected June 27, 2025. The Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed connected December 4, reaffirmed the parties’ committedness to implementing that agreement.

Among the cardinal information commitments are the DRC’s work to neutralise the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and Rwanda’s disengagement of forces and lifting of antiaircraft measures.

What is astatine stake?

The September talks volition absorption connected whether the 2 sides tin marque further advancement connected those commitments.

The statement is portion of a wider diplomatic effort to extremity decades of struggle successful the eastbound DRC, a portion bordering Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi that has been plagued by equipped groups and repeated fighting.

The struggle has repeatedly drawn neighbouring countries into the eastbound DRC. Rwanda has agelong said equipped groups operating from DRC territory airs a menace to its security, portion the Congolese authorities has accused Kigali of supporting equipped groups seeking to prehend territory and power successful the east.

“The Washington Accords reaffirm the parties’ committedness to instrumentality the Peace Agreement betwixt the DRC and Rwanda, agreed to successful Washington, June 2025, and execute the imaginativeness of the Regional Economic Integration Framework, to make a bold roadmap for peace, security, and unprecedented economical growth,” a US Department of State spokesperson said.

But warring has continued.

A September forecast by Security Council Report said clashes betwixt the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and the M23 equipped radical had continued successful North and South Kivu, 2 provinces successful the eastbound DRC. It besides said 2 cardinal obligations nether the Washington process, the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda’s lifting of antiaircraft measures, had yet to beryllium declared complete.

Rwanda has repeatedly accused the DRC of supporting, arming and moving alongside the FDLR.

The FDLR has its roots successful forces and militias that fled Rwanda aft the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Some of its members were linked to the erstwhile Rwandan service and the Interahamwe militia. The radical has remained progressive successful the eastbound DRC and has agelong been a cardinal information interest for Rwanda.

Kinshasa, meanwhile, has accused Rwanda of supporting M23, allegations Kigali denies.

M23 archetypal emerged arsenic a large equipped question successful 2012. After withdrawing from territory it controlled, it resurfaced successful 2022 and launched a caller violative successful the eastbound DRC.

The radical made large territorial gains successful 2025, including the seizure of Goma, the superior of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the superior of neighbouring South Kivu.

Although M23 is not a enactment to the Washington agreement, it remains cardinal to efforts to extremity the wider conflict.

The US-backed process requires Rwanda and the DRC to enactment a abstracted Qatar-led dialog betwixt Kinshasa and M23. That process produced the Doha Framework for Peace, signed by the Congolese authorities and the Congo River Alliance (AFC/M23) successful Doha connected November 15, 2025.

Where things stand

The September gathering follows the sixth JSCM meeting, held successful Geneva connected August 12 and 13.

At that meeting, the DRC and Rwanda agreed to beforehand 2 initiatives aimed astatine strengthening monitoring and verification of the Washington Accords connected the ground. They asked the US to see the initiatives and supply feedback astatine the adjacent JSCM meeting.

The DRC besides presented its Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) program for the FDLR and responded to questions from JSCM members.

The parties besides agreed to clasp a trilateral readying league successful October that volition culminate successful a revised operations bid guiding their coordinated efforts.

The FDLR dispute

The neutralisation of the FDLR is expected to stay 1 of the astir hard issues.

On July 28, the Congolese authorities said a faction of the FDLR had accepted and signed a protocol covering disarmament, demobilisation and cantonment. Kinshasa presented the determination arsenic advancement towards gathering its obligations nether the Washington agreement.

Rwanda rejected the move, arguing that the Washington statement requires the FDLR to beryllium neutralised alternatively than negotiated with. Kigali has besides accused Kinshasa of continuing to enactment the group.

The disagreement matters due to the fact that advancement connected the FDLR is tied to Rwanda’s ain commitments nether the Washington process.

Rwanda has maintained that its information measures on the borderline with the DRC are indispensable to support the state from equipped groups operating successful the eastbound DRC. Under the Washington agreement, Rwanda is expected to disengage its forces and assistance those antiaircraft measures arsenic portion of the wider information arrangements.

For the September meeting, the FDLR contented volition stay a cardinal constituent of contention arsenic the 2 countries effort to resoluteness the commitments that stay astatine the bosom of their dispute.