The Government of Rwanda has reaffirmed that the Washington Peace Agreement leaves no room for negotiations or political accommodation with the terrorist group known as Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), maintaining that the accord’s central objective is the group’s complete dismantling and neutralization. The clarification follows recent claims by authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that the FDLR had agreed to voluntarily disarm under a separate arrangement they say is consistent with the Washington peace process.
The latest dispute arose after DRC Minister for Regional Integration Floribert Anzuluni and Government Spokesperson Patrick Muyaya announced that the FDLR had accepted a process involving voluntary disarmament, demobilization, reintegration into civilian life, and placement in supervised facilities. Muyaya argued that the initiative was fully aligned with the Washington Peace Agreement and its accompanying Concept of Operations (CONOPS), describing it as a major breakthrough in addressing the long-standing security challenge posed by the armed group. Congolese officials also asserted that the next step should be the removal of the defensive security measures maintained along Rwanda’s border.
Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo firmly rejected that interpretation, stressing that the Washington Peace Agreement requires the dismantling of the FDLR rather than negotiations with it. She said that declarations of voluntary disarmament cannot satisfy the agreement while, according to the Government of Rwanda, FDLR combatants remain integrated within the Congolese armed forces and continue participating in military operations.
“The Washington Agreement provides for the dismantling of the FDLR; it does not provide for negotiations with the genocidal militia that the DRC government has continued to arm and collaborate with. A declaration of voluntary disarmament, while FDLR members remain integrated within the Congolese army and continue fighting on the front lines, changes nothing,” Makolo said.
She further emphasized that implementation of the agreement requires concrete, independently verifiable action rather than symbolic declarations.
“Implementing the Washington Agreement means carrying out genuine and verifiable disarmament, not a staged performance. Rwanda remains committed to implementing the agreement. Our region deserves lasting peace and stability, not commitments that exist only on paper,” she added.
The FDLR, founded by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, continues to be regarded by Rwandans as one of the region’s most serious security threats. Its continued presence near Rwanda’s western border has remained a central concern throughout successive regional peace initiatives, including the Luanda and Washington negotiations. The Government of Rwanda has consistently maintained that the defensive measures adopted along the border will be reviewed only after the group’s complete, irreversible, and independently verified dismantling.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe also dismissed the newly announced arrangement, saying that it has no legal or political basis under the Washington Peace Agreements signed on June 25 and December 4, 2025. He noted that the FDLR was never a party to those agreements but was instead one of the principal security threats they were specifically designed to eliminate.
“This so-called agreement signed between a father (the DRC government) and his son (the FDLR), together with the ideology they share (genocide ideology), has absolutely no basis in the Washington Peace Agreement because no such provision exists,” Nduhungirehe stated.
The minister added that even if the FDLR prepared its own proposal concerning self-dissolution, demobilization, and reintegration, such a document cannot replace the obligations established under the Washington framework. According to the Government of Rwanda, the peace agreement required the DRC to dismantle the FDLR within 90 days, a commitment that remains outstanding.
Rwandan authorities further contend that, rather than implementing that obligation, Kinshasa has attempted to advance a parallel process that risks delaying execution of the agreement while creating the impression that the FDLR issue has already been resolved. They also maintain that cooperation between elements of the Congolese armed forces and the FDLR has continued since the signing of the Washington accord, including allegations that some fighters have been integrated into the national army. The Government of Rwanda has additionally provided details about the Congolese government of facilitating political support for the organization born out genocide ideology and through several individuals it identifies as opponents of the Rwandan government.
The announcement by Congolese authorities followed diplomatic visits by Minister Anzuluni to several African and European capitals, during which a proposal reportedly prepared by FDLR leader Victor Byiringiro was presented. The document, described as a “self-dissolution” initiative, had previously been submitted to President Félix Tshisekedi. The Government of Rwanda maintains, however, that such proposals cannot replace the binding obligations contained in the Washington Peace Agreement.
As delay over implementation of the accord persist, the Government of Rwanda continues to insist that lasting peace in the Great Lakes region depends not on separate understandings with the FDLR but on its complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantling. Officials said that only full execution of the Washington Peace Agreement can eliminate one of the region’s longest-standing security threats and lay the foundation for durable peace and stability.
