The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have agreed to take 'concrete steps' to ease tensions amid a stalled peace process, after talks hosted by the US in Washington. Conflict in eastern DR Congo has continued despite the two countries signing a peace deal with US President Donald Trump last year. The pledge to ease tensions comes after the US earlier this month sanctioned the Rwandan Defence Forces and four senior officials, accusing Rwanda of directly supporting the M23 rebel group, blamed for escalating the conflict.
A joint statement by DR Congo, Rwanda, and the US states they have 'agreed to a series of coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions and advance progress on the ground.' They pledged to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while Rwanda would disengage its forces and lift 'defensive measures... in defined areas in DR Congo's territory.'
In turn, DR Congo would intensify 'time-bound' efforts to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group that includes some Rwandan ethnic Hutus involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and remains active in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda describes the FDLR as a 'genocidal militia' and states its existence in eastern DR Congo poses a threat to its own territory.
Fighting has persisted in eastern DR Congo despite the US-brokered peace deal in December aimed at ending the long-running conflict. Days after the signing ceremony, the M23 entered the Congolese city of Uvira near the Burundi border in the biggest escalation of the conflict in months. It later pulled out under US pressure, but still controls large areas, including Goma and Bukavu.
The US earlier stated that the M23's continued presence near the Burundian border, along with Rwandan military support, carries 'the risk of escalating the conflict into a broader regional war.' Rwanda has denied the accusations of supporting the M23 and criticized the sanctions as targeting one side and misrepresenting the conflict's reality.
A joint statement by DR Congo, Rwanda, and the US states they have 'agreed to a series of coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions and advance progress on the ground.' They pledged to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while Rwanda would disengage its forces and lift 'defensive measures... in defined areas in DR Congo's territory.'
In turn, DR Congo would intensify 'time-bound' efforts to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group that includes some Rwandan ethnic Hutus involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide and remains active in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda describes the FDLR as a 'genocidal militia' and states its existence in eastern DR Congo poses a threat to its own territory.
Fighting has persisted in eastern DR Congo despite the US-brokered peace deal in December aimed at ending the long-running conflict. Days after the signing ceremony, the M23 entered the Congolese city of Uvira near the Burundi border in the biggest escalation of the conflict in months. It later pulled out under US pressure, but still controls large areas, including Goma and Bukavu.
The US earlier stated that the M23's continued presence near the Burundian border, along with Rwandan military support, carries 'the risk of escalating the conflict into a broader regional war.' Rwanda has denied the accusations of supporting the M23 and criticized the sanctions as targeting one side and misrepresenting the conflict's reality.
