Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi has accused Rwanda of dragging its feet on a peace agreement signed by both countries in Washington in June, alleging that Rwandan forces remain active on Congolese territory despite claims of withdrawal.
“Rwanda pretends to have withdrawn its troops, but in reality, Rwandan soldiers continue to be present on Congolese soil and to support the M23,” Tshisekedi told journalists on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
He argued that Kigali was deliberately seeking to “gain time for the crisis to worsen,” while stressing Kinshasa’s commitment to peace.
The Congolese leader also hinted at closer security cooperation with Washington in exchange for a stable supply of critical minerals, including cobalt, vital to electronics and battery production.
The eastern DRC, long plagued by armed groups despite its vast mineral wealth, has endured decades of violence. The M23, a rebel movement backed by Rwanda according to Kinshasa and international observers, has waged renewed offensives since late 2021. Earlier this year, the group seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu, establishing its own administrations and worsening the humanitarian crisis.
On July 19, Kinshasa and the M23 signed a declaration of principles in Qatar that included a pledge for a permanent ceasefire, following the intergovernmental peace accord between the DRC and Rwanda in June.
The tensions persist, however. Earlier this month, Rwanda rejected a Human Rights Watch report that used satellite images to suggest an expansion of a military graveyard linked to months of conflict in the DRC, dismissing the findings as misleading.
