Representatives from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda convened in Geneva on September 16 for high-stakes talks aimed at implementing the 2025 Washington Accords. The diplomatic push comes as ongoing armed conflict persists in eastern Congo, straining fragile regional peace frameworks.
Geneva Talks Test the Limits of Regional Accords
Delegates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda gathered in Geneva for a two-day meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) scheduled for September 16 and 17. International mediators from the United States, Qatar, Togo, and the African Union Commission joined the session to monitor and coordinate security commitments established under previous diplomatic pacts.
The renewed diplomatic engagement follows the sixth JSCM meeting held in Geneva on August 12 and 13, where both governments agreed to advance monitoring initiatives and review disarmament proposals (as detailed by Al Jazeera). At that meeting, the DRC and Rwanda asked the US to consider the initiatives and provide feedback. Yet, the conference room discussions stand in stark contrast to the realities on the ground in eastern Congo, where fighting continues unabated. The peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda was signed in Washington, DC on June 27, 2025, and the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on December 4, reaffirmed the parties’ commitment to implementing that agreement.
Disputes Over the FDLR and National Sovereignty
At the center of the diplomatic friction is the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed faction with roots stretching back to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, when members of the former Rwandan army and fighter groups involved in the killings fled into what is now eastern DRC. Under the Washington framework, Kinshasa committed to neutralizing the group through demobilization and disarmament.
On July 28, the Congolese government announced that a faction of the FDLR had signed a protocol covering disarmament, demobilization, and cantonment. Rwanda rejected the move, arguing that the Washington agreement demands complete neutralization rather than negotiations with the group. Rwandan President Paul Kagame described the agreement on the FDLR as “insufficient” in remarks at the end of last month.
Patrick Muyaya, the Congolese minister of information and government spokesperson, defended his country’s record during an interview (reported by Al Jazeera).
“The work of neutralising the FDLR through demobilisation is being carried out in accordance with the Washington agreements.”
Patrick Muyaya, Congolese minister of information and government spokesperson
Muyaya countered by accusing Kigali of maintaining expansionist ambitions
within Congolese territory under the guise of border security.
The M23 Factor and Parallel Qatar-Led Dialogues
While the Geneva talks focus primarily on state-to-state relations between Kinshasa and Kigali, the M23 armed movement remains a central driver of the regional crisis. M23 first emerged as a major armed movement in 2012, and after withdrawing from territory it controlled, it resurfaced in 2022 to launch a new offensive in the eastern DRC. The group captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in January 2025, and subsequently seized Bukavu, the capital of neighbouring South Kivu, dramatically reshaping the military balance in eastern Congo.
Although M23 is not a direct signatory to the Washington agreement, its political wing—the Congo River Alliance (AFC)—has engaged in a separate Qatar-led dialogue with Kinshasa. That parallel track produced the Doha Framework for Peace, signed by the Congolese government and the Congo River Alliance (AFC/M23) in Doha on November 15, 2025. According to a September forecast by Security Council Report (cited in regional reporting), ongoing clashes between the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and M23 have continued across North and South Kivu, proving that bilateral state talks cannot easily separate themselves from territorial insurgencies.
Skepticism on the Ground in Goma
For residents living through the conflict, high-level diplomacy in European capitals often feels disconnected from daily survival. Josue Akuzwe Walayi, a pro-democracy activist speaking from Kinshasa, emphasized that diplomatic milestones have failed to alter local conditions.
“People are still waiting for the real benefits of peace that have been trumpeted for over a year. Fields continue to be ravaged in the east, and further displacement is still being reported,”
Josue Akuzwe Walayi, pro-democracy activist
Residents like Sadiki Bitha, who experienced Goma’s capture firsthand in January 2025, continue to monitor the Geneva discussions with cautious demands that international mediators hold all parties strictly to their written commitments. As technical teams prepare for a trilateral planning conference scheduled for October to draft a revised operations order, the durability of the Geneva process rests entirely on whether regional leaders can bridge the chasm between formal accords and realities on the ground.