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Rwanda rejects DRC's FDLR disarmament announcement under Washington Peace Accords
Rwanda has dismissed the Democratic Republic of Congo's announcement that the FDLR had signed a protocol for disarmament, demobilisation and cantonment, insisting that the Washington Agreement requires the armed group's "neutralisation" through verifiable dismantlement rather than what it described as a negotiated arrangement.
The response came after Patrick Muyaya, the DRC's Minister of Communication and Media and Government Spokesperson, announced on X that the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) had signed a protocol for "disarmament, demobilisation and cantonment through sensitisation" in accordance with the Washington Agreement and its Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
Muyaya described the development as "a major turning point" in addressing the FDLR issue, adding that it removed what he called a pretext Rwanda had used "for 30 years to justify its aggression."
Responding on X, Rwanda's Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo rejected that interpretation, saying the Washington Accords "call for the neutralisation of the FDLR — not a negotiated protocol with a genocidal militia that the DRC government continues to arm and collaborate with."
She added that "voluntary 'disarmament' announcements while the FDLR remains embedded in the Congolese army and active on the frontlines change nothing," arguing that implementation of the agreement requires "verifiable dismantlement, not theatre."
Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, also criticised the move, describing it as "a crude manipulation by Kinshasa" and "a delaying tactic" aimed at avoiding what he said was the DRC's primary security obligation under the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and its Operational Order (OPORD).
Nduhungirehe further alleged that since the Washington Agreement was signed in December 2025, the Congolese government had intensified its military support for the FDLR while advancing the group's political organisation. The Congolese government has not publicly responded to those allegations.
Makolo said Rwanda remains focused on implementing the Washington Agreement, adding that "our region deserves real security and stability, not paper exercises."
The exchange highlights the differing interpretations of the Washington Agreement as both countries face growing pressure to implement its security commitments, with the neutralisation of the FDLR remaining one of its central provisions.
