KIGALI, Rwanda — As regional leaders push for yet another pause in the relentless conflict gripping the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda’s top diplomat issued a sobering reality check on Thursday: without a fundamental shift in Kinshasa’s strategy, the ink on the latest agreement may already be drying on a dead letter.
Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, speaking shortly after the Angolan presidency announced a proposed ceasefire scheduled for February 18, warned that the “piling up” of peace declarations is failing to translate into stability on the ground.
A Cycle of Broken Promises
The new proposal, brokered in Luanda by Angolan President João Lourenço alongside Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbé and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, aims to halt hostilities between the Congolese government coalition and the AFC/M23 rebels.
However, Nduhungirehe noted that the roadmap to peace in the Great Lakes region is already littered with failed starts. In a pointed statement on X (formerly Twitter), he listed a dizzying array of agreements signed in 2025 alone:
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- April 23: Kinshasa-AFC/M23 Ceasefire
- April 25: Washington Declaration of Principles
- June 27: Washington Peace Agreement
- July 19: Doha Declaration of Principles
- November 15: Doha Framework Agreement
- December 4: Washington Agreements
“We can pile up peace agreements or ceasefire declarations endlessly,” Nduhungirehe said. “But as long as President Tshisekedi remains obsessed with an improbable military solution… it will all be in vain.”
The “Whims” of Kinshasa
The Rwandan minister’s critique centered on what he described as a lack of “political will” from the government of President Félix Tshisekedi. He accused Kinshasa of continuing airstrikes and artillery attacks in violation of existing pacts while the international community “turns a blind eye.”
The friction underscores the deep-seated distrust between the neighbors. While Kinshasa frequently accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels—a charge Kigali denies—Rwanda maintains that the DRC’s reliance on military force and its failure to distance itself from genocidal elements in the east are the true barriers to peace.
Monitoring a Fragile Peace
The February 18 ceasefire is intended to build on the Qatar-mediated peace process that began in April 2025. Unlike previous attempts, this framework includes a formal “verification mechanism.”
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Overseers: The United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) will lead monitoring teams.
- Cooperation: The International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) will coordinate to document breaches.
- Deployment: MONUSCO has confirmed plans to deploy elements to Uvira, South Kivu, specifically to monitor compliance and bolster stabilization efforts.
High-Stakes Diplomacy
The latest push follows an intensive regional tour by African Union-designated facilitators who met with leaders in Rwanda, the DRC, Burundi, and Uganda, as well as representatives of the AFC/M23.
The presence of heavyweights like Obasanjo and Gnassingbé signals the AU’s desperation to prevent the conflict from spiraling into a wider regional war. However, as Nduhungirehe’s comments suggest, the success of the February 18 deadline depends less on the prestige of the mediators and more on the guns falling silent in the hills of North Kivu.
For the millions displaced in eastern Congo, the question remains whether this latest date is a true turning point or simply the seventh entry in a list of failed promises for 2026.
