The United States on Friday accused Rwanda of breaching a recently signed peace agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning that Kigali’s actions were destabilizing the Great Lakes region and risking a slide into war.
The deal, signed just over a week ago, had been hailed by U.S. President Donald Trump as “historic” and widely viewed as a potential breakthrough in efforts to end decades of conflict in eastern Congo.
However, renewed fighting erupted on Wednesday when M23 rebels, allegedly supported by Rwanda, claimed to have captured the strategic city of Uvira, one of the last remaining Congolese army strongholds in the east.
United Nations experts have previously accused Kigali of exercising “de facto control” over the rebel group’s operations, despite Rwanda’s repeated denials of involvement.
U.S. Condemnation
Reacting to the escalation, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington was “incredibly disappointed” by the resurgence of violence and cautioned that the United States would hold “spoilers to peace” accountable.
Waltz added that Rwanda’s actions undermined the Washington Accord, which sought to normalize relations between Kinshasa and Kigali and restore stability to the conflict-ravaged region.
Rebels Reject Link to U.S.-Brokered Deal
Leaders of the M23 rebel alliance, however, distanced themselves from the accord, arguing that it does not address the internal causes of the war.
Bertrand Bisimwa, Deputy Coordinator of the AFC–M23 alliance, told reporters on Friday that the Washington Accord concerned relations between the two states, not the conflict within Congo itself.
“It has never changed the reality on the ground, in the sense that the war that we are fighting with Kinshasa since the beginning of the conflict has never stopped, regardless of the ceasefire agreements we have signed with them,” Bisimwa said.
He explained that M23 seeks to transform the DRC into a federal system, stating:
“When we say federalism, we want to establish a new balance between the provinces and the central government. A balance that will guarantee a symmetrical system in which we give and receive. That is what we want. It is not about Balkanization.”
Mounting Tensions and Humanitarian Toll
Both Kinshasa and Kigali have accused each other of violating the Washington Accord, which was intended to halt hostilities and promote dialogue.
Eastern Congo remains one of the world’s most volatile regions, with more than 100 armed groups competing for control over its mineral-rich territories, particularly in areas bordering Rwanda.
The ongoing violence has deepened an already dire humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 7 million people have been displaced by the conflict—one of the largest internal displacement crises in the world.
