Officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are due to reconvene in Geneva on September 16 and 17 for talks on the implementation of the 2025 Washington Accords.
asserted
Officials → reconvene → Accords
The two-day meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) will bring together representatives of the two countries, with mediators from the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission.
asserted
meeting → bring → States
The mechanism was established to monitor and coordinate the implementation of security commitments between the two countries.
asserted
mechanism → establish → countries
The meeting comes as fighting continues in the eastern DRC and key commitments under the peace process remain unresolved.
asserted
commitments → come → process
The peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda was signed in Washington, DC on June 27, 2025.
asserted
agreement → sign → June
The Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on December 4, reaffirmed the parties’ commitment to implementing that agreement.
asserted
Accords → sign → agreement
Among the key security commitments are the DRC’s obligation to neutralise the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and Rwanda’s disengagement of forces and lifting of defensive measures.
asserted
obligation → neutralise → measures
The September talks will focus on whether the two sides can make further progress on those commitments.
asserted
sides → focus → commitments
The agreement is part of a wider diplomatic effort to end decades of conflict in the eastern DRC, a region bordering Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi that has been plagued by armed groups and repeated fighting.
asserted
that → end → groups
The conflict has repeatedly drawn neighbouring countries into the eastern DRC.
asserted
conflict → draw → DRC
Rwanda has long said armed groups operating from DRC territory pose a threat to its security, while the Congolese government has accused Kigali of supporting armed groups seeking to seize territory and influence in the east.
asserted
government → say → east
“The Washington Accords reaffirm the parties’ commitment to implement the Peace Agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, agreed to in Washington, June 2025, and achieve the vision of the Regional Economic Integration Framework, to create a bold roadmap for peace, security, and unprecedented economic growth,” a US Department of State spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → reaffirm → State
But fighting has continued.
asserted
fighting → continue → ?
A September forecast by Security Council Report said clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and the M23 armed group had continued in North and South Kivu, two provinces in the eastern DRC.
asserted
clashes → say → DRC
It also said two central obligations under the Washington process, the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda’s lifting of defensive measures, had yet to be declared complete.
asserted
obligations → say → measures
Rwanda has repeatedly accused the DRC of supporting, arming and working alongside the FDLR.
asserted
Rwanda → accuse → FDLR
The FDLR has its roots in forces and militias that fled Rwanda after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
asserted
that → have → Tutsi
Some of its members were linked to the former Rwandan army and the Interahamwe militia.
asserted
Some → link → army
The group has remained active in the eastern DRC and has long been a central security concern for Rwanda.
asserted
group → remain → Rwanda
Kinshasa, meanwhile, has accused Rwanda of supporting M23, allegations Kigali denies.
asserted
Kigali → accuse → allegations
M23 first emerged as a major armed movement in 2012.
asserted
M23 → emerge → 2012
After withdrawing from territory it controlled, it resurfaced in 2022 and launched a new offensive in the eastern DRC.
asserted
it → withdraw → DRC
The group made major territorial gains in 2025, including the capture of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and Bukavu, the capital of neighbouring South Kivu.
asserted
group → make → Kivu
Although M23 is not a party to the Washington agreement, it remains central to efforts to end the wider conflict.
asserted
it → remain → conflict
The US-backed process requires Rwanda and the DRC to support a separate Qatar-led dialogue between Kinshasa and M23.
asserted
process → back → Kinshasa
That process produced the Doha Framework for Peace, signed by the Congolese government and the Congo River Alliance (AFC/M23) in Doha on November 15, 2025.
asserted
process → produce → November
Where things stand
The September meeting follows the sixth JSCM meeting, held in Geneva on August 12 and 13.
asserted
meeting → stand → August
At that meeting, the DRC and Rwanda agreed to advance two initiatives aimed at strengthening monitoring and verification of the Washington Accords on the ground.
asserted
DRC → agree → ground
They asked the US to consider the initiatives and provide feedback at the next JSCM meeting.
asserted
They → ask → meeting
The DRC also presented its Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) plan for the FDLR and responded to questions from JSCM members.
The parties also agreed to hold a trilateral planning conference in October that will culminate in a revised operations order guiding their coordinated efforts.
asserted
that → present → efforts
The neutralisation of the FDLR is expected to remain one of the most difficult issues.
asserted
neutralisation → expect → issues
On July 28, the Congolese government said a faction of the FDLR had accepted and signed a protocol covering disarmament, demobilisation and cantonment.
asserted
faction → say → disarmament
Kinshasa presented the move as progress towards meeting its obligations under the Washington agreement.
asserted
Kinshasa → present → agreement
Rwanda rejected the move, arguing that the Washington agreement requires the FDLR to be neutralised rather than negotiated with.
asserted
agreement → reject → FDLR
Kigali has also accused Kinshasa of continuing to support the group.
asserted
Kigali → accuse → group
The disagreement matters because progress on the FDLR is tied to Rwanda’s own commitments under the Washington process.
asserted
progress → matter → process
Rwanda has maintained that its security measures along the border with the DRC are necessary to protect the country from armed groups operating in the eastern DRC.
asserted
measures → maintain → DRC
Under the Washington agreement, Rwanda is expected to disengage its forces and lift those defensive measures as part of the wider security arrangements.
asserted
Rwanda → expect → arrangements
For the September meeting, the FDLR issue will remain a central point of contention as the two countries try to resolve the commitments that remain at the heart of their dispute.
asserted
that → remain → dispute
The Aporia
