Barely a week after signing the Washington Accord,
Presidents Felix Tshisekedi (DRC) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) are at loggerheads.
The disagreements begun shortly after the two jetted off from Washington DC where they signed the peace deal on December 4, which
was spearheaded by President Donald Trump.
On Monday, Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of violating the US-brokered
peace deal, as the M23 armed group pressed ahead with a rapid advance on a town
near the border with Burundi.
The president told lawmakers that Rwandan forces had carried out attacks in
several locations in South Kivu province days since the signing of the deal.
He claimed that the Rwandan army had carried out and
supported attacks with heavy weaponry “on the very day after the signing”.
“Despite our good faith and the recently ratified
agreement, it is clear that Rwanda is already violating its commitments,”
Tshisekedi alleged.
In response, the Rwandan government refuted the
claims, condemning the violations and blaming DRC and Burundi of the same.
“The responsibility for ceasefire violations, ongoing
attacks and fighting in South Kivu, DRC cannot be placed on Rwanda,” the
Rwandese ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a
notice on Wednesday.
“Rwanda condemns the Congolese Army (FARDC) and the
Burundian Army (FDNB), together with its coalition of the DRC-backed FDLR genocidal
militias, Wazalendo and foreign mercenaries, and have been systematically
bombing civilian villages close to the Rwandan border, using fighter jets and
attack drones, and which the AFC/M23 has said it has been forced to counter.”
The ministry highlighted the humanitarian impact of
the attack, stating that “as a result of this past week's bombing of Kamanyola
from Burundi, over 1000 Congolese citizens have fled across the border to
Bugarama, in Southern Rwanda, where they are accommodated at the Nyarushishi
Transit Camp”.
It alleged that the Burundian Army has amassed close
to 20,000 troops in South Kivu in the service of the DRC Government.
The ministry further claimed that the country has “notably
laid siege to Banyamulenge villages in Minembwe in a deliberate attempt to
starve the residents”.
It criticised DRC for not observing the ceasefire,
alleging that the neighboring country was “fighting to recapture territories
lost to AFC/M23, even as the peace process unfolded”.
It noted that the details of the continued pursuit of
a military solution was brought to the attention of the international
community, even though they had their own means of verification, and most of
the information was publicly available.
“The international community has not demanded an end
to these attacks prepared for months by the DRC and instigated in the past
week,” it added.
The ministry also noted DRC’s failure to fulfill
commitments under previous agreements.
“In addition, the failure of the DRC to neutralise the
FDLR as stipulated in the June 2025 Peace Agreement continues to delay the
resolution of the conflict in Eastern DRC, the ultimate goal of the Washington
Accords,” it said.
Rwanda said this showed that the DRC was “never ready
to commit to peace”, accusing President Tshisekedi of participating in the December
4, ceremony “as if forced to sign the Accords”.
It said the violations have grave implications for
both civilians and regional security.
“These deliberate violations of recently negotiated
agreements constitute serious obstacles to peace, resulting in the continued
suffering of the population in Eastern DRC, as well as a security threat to
Rwanda's western border,” it said.
Rwanda called for a return to full implementation of
the Washington Accords, describing it as an urgent priority.
“.. as is the conclusion of the remaining annexes of
the Doha Agreement between DRC and AFC/M23. This is the most viable path
forward for резеe stability and prosperity in the Great Lalee region,” Rwanda
added.
