Hendra Wijaya
Delegates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda have returned to the negotiating table in Geneva for critical two-day talks on September 16 and 17, seeking to implement the terms of a bilateral peace agreement brokered in Washington more than a year ago. The diplomatic gathering takes place against a backdrop of persistent violence in eastern Congo, where previous ceasefires and regional accords have failed to bring an end to active combat.
The diplomatic push in Switzerland is widely seen as a major test of whether high-level agreements can be translated into real security improvements on the ground. Despite the diplomatic framework established in Washington, artillery and gunfire continue to echo across the Kivus, where displacement continues and vast swathes of land remain outside the authority of the central government in Kinshasa.
Diplomacy surrounding the crisis is currently moving along two distinct yet tightly linked tracks. While Congolese and Rwandan officials negotiate directly in Geneva over cross-border security concerns, the government in Kinshasa is simultaneously pursuing a separate, Qatar-mediated dialogue with the Congo River Alliance (AFC), the political coalition that encompasses the powerful M23 rebel movement.
Although these diplomatic channels operate independently, analysts and observers recognize that the conflicts they are attempting to resolve cannot be separated. The confrontation between the national governments of the DRC and Rwanda is deeply intertwined with the domestic rebellion led by M23, meaning progress in one forum is heavily contingent upon developments in the other.
At the epicenter of the bilateral dispute between Kigali and Kinshasa is the presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The armed group trace their roots back to the aftermath of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, during which members of the former Rwandan military and associated militias fled across the border into eastern Congo. Kigali has consistently maintained that the continued presence of the FDLR near its shared border poses an unacceptable threat to Rwandan national security.
Under the provisions of the Washington framework, the Congolese government formally committed to neutralizing the FDLR through an established demobilization process. However, sharp disagreements have emerged regarding how effectively those obligations are being carried out, leading to renewed public friction between the two capitals.
Tensions escalated late last month when Rwandan President Paul Kagame publicly characterized the existing measures to dismantle the FDLR as "insufficient." Kagame’s remarks signaled that Kigali is not satisfied with the pace or scope of Kinshasa’s disarmament operations along the frontier.
Kinshasa swiftly pushed back against Kigali's criticism. Patrick Muyaya, the Congolese minister of information and government spokesperson, defended his country’s record, asserting that the demobilization and neutralization of the FDLR are proceeding in accordance with the Washington agreement. Muyaya further accused the Rwandan government of using the FDLR as a pretext to pursue territorial and expansionist ambitions inside Congolese territory.
This standoff highlights the fundamental clash between Rwandan security priorities and Congolese state sovereignty. While Kigali insists on firm, verifiable guarantees that hostile groups will not operate from Congolese soil, Kinshasa firmly maintains that cross-border security concerns can never justify the unauthorized presence of foreign troops within the borders of the DRC.
Compounding the crisis is the role of M23, an armed movement that is not formally party to the Washington agreement but remains central to the broader regional conflict. The group significantly altered the military balance of power across eastern Congo after capturing the strategic provincial capital of Goma in January 2025, subsequently expanding its territorial footprint to take Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
Operating under the political umbrella of the AFC, M23's substantial territorial control heavily influences Kinshasa’s military and political calculations. Although the Congolese government engages the AFC-M23 alliance within the Qatar-led track, the conflict on the ground directly impacts the security environment along the Rwandan frontier, reinforcing the complex web of distrust between Kinshasa and Kigali.
For civilians living in the war-torn eastern provinces, the diplomatic proceedings in European conference halls are judged solely by whether they bring tangible relief to daily life. In Goma, residents who lived through the rebel capture of their city in early 2025, such as local resident Sadiki Bitha, are watching the Geneva negotiations closely and urging international mediators to ensure that both sides are held accountable to their commitments.
Public skepticism remains widespread among civil society figures who have witnessed repeated rounds of failed diplomacy. Josue Akuzwe Walayi, a pro-democracy activist speaking from Kinshasa, noted that ordinary citizens are still waiting to see the promised benefits of a peace deal signed over a year ago. Walayi emphasized that agricultural fields remain ruined, displacement continues to rise, and foreign military operations cannot be justified at the expense of Congolese territorial integrity.
On the ground in North and South Kivu, the military situation remains volatile as clashes persist between the Congolese armed forces, backed by allied armed groups, and M23 combatants. Both sides continue to trade accusations regarding breaches of the nominal ceasefire, further undermining confidence in the peace process.
Recently, AFC-M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused the Congolese military of carrying out serious attacks against populated areas in direct violation of the ceasefire. Kanyuka stated that the alliance would take all necessary steps to establish defensive perimeters to shield local populations, while also claiming that an aircraft transporting essential humanitarian aid had been targeted late last month. These allegations have not been independently confirmed.
As delegates in Geneva attempt to bridge the divide over the implementation of the Washington pact, the core dilemma remains unresolved. Until Rwanda receives the security assurances it demands regarding hostile border elements and the DRC secures full respect for its national sovereignty, the prospects for lasting stability in eastern Congo remain deeply precarious.
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