Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: THE Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have reaffirmed their commitment to fully implementing the June 2025 peace agreement, known as the Washington Accord.
This follows the second meeting of the joint oversight committee in the United States on September 3, attended by representatives of the DRC, Rwanda, the US, Qatar, and the African Union.
Under the agreement, Kigali and Kinshasa committed to respect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, national unity, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. In a joint statement, the committee members acknowledged the slowness of progress on some parts of the agreement. But they emphasised their shared resolve to ensure its timely implementation to advance peace, stability, and prosperity in eastern DRC and the broader Great Lakes region. Discussions at the gathering focused on addressing challenges faced, including reports of ongoing violence in the eastern DRC and identifying steps to ensure compliance. They also committed to accelerating efforts to neutralise support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) armed group.
In a key development, Kinshasa reiterated that it has no policy of supporting the FDLR, while Kigali reaffirmed respect for the DRC’s territorial integrity. They also agreed to immediately and unconditionally cease any state support to non-state armed groups – except where necessary to facilitate the implementation of the deal. Rwanda and the DRC pledged to establish a military and intelligence channel for direct information exchange ahead of the next JSCM meeting in Doha.
