The United States has once again delivered a clear message to the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: lasting peace in the Great Lakes region will remain out of reach unless Kinshasa decisively ends the threat posed by the FDLR and stops the continued violence that has devastated innocent civilians in eastern Congo.
Speaking before the United Nations Security Council on March 26, 2026, Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States for Africa Affairs, warned that the security crisis in eastern DRC remains one of the most urgent issues facing the region. His remarks underscored growing international concern that the DRC government must do more than make promises—it must take concrete action to dismantle armed groups operating within its territory, especially the FDLR, a militia long linked to genocide ideology, regional destabilization, and insecurity.
For millions of Congolese civilians, the consequences of inaction have been catastrophic. Entire communities in eastern DRC continue to live under the constant threat of violence, displacement, and fear. Families have been uprooted, children denied education, and countless innocent people stripped of their right to live in safety and dignity. At the heart of this suffering is a cycle of armed conflict that has persisted for far too long, fueled in part by the continued presence and activities of terrorist and extremist militias that should have been dismantled years ago.
Boulos emphasized that under the leadership of President Donald Trump, Rwanda and the DRC recently signed a peace agreement in Washington, an important diplomatic step meant to move the region away from confrontation and toward dialogue, cooperation, and long-term stability. He described the agreement as a meaningful sign that both countries can choose peace over escalation.
Yet peace agreements alone will not protect civilians if armed groups are allowed to operate freely or if military actions continue to endanger the very people governments are supposed to protect. That is why Boulos stressed that while Rwanda is expected to ease its self-defensive posture, the DRC government must urgently dismantle the FDLR terrorist group in the areas it controls. This is not simply a diplomatic recommendation—it is a moral and security obligation.
FDLR Commander Maj. Gakwerere was recently arrested by M23 freedom fighters and sent to Rwanda to face trial.
”The Government of the DRC has committed to urgently dismantling the FDLR, at least in the areas under its control,” Boulos said. “These steps are essential in addressing the security concerns that have fueled mistrust and instability in the region.”
That statement should not be treated as symbolic language. It is a direct reminder that any government that claims to seek peace cannot continue tolerating, enabling, or failing to neutralize a group widely regarded as a source of terror and regional instability. The DRC government must choose whether it stands with the innocent civilians of eastern Congo or whether it continues to allow armed actors to deepen the country’s suffering.
The urgency of that choice became even clearer following the deadly drone strike in the Himbi area of Goma on March 11, 2026. The attack killed Karine Buisset, a French national working for UNICEF, along with two other civilians. According to AFC/M23, which controls Goma, the strike was carried out by DRC government forces and was aimed at senior leaders of the movement, including Corneille Nangaa and Major General Sultani Makenga. The group further alleged that Congolese government forces have continued to launch attacks not only on military positions but also in civilian-populated areas, causing further loss of innocent life.
If those claims are confirmed, they would raise deeply troubling questions about the conduct of the DRC government and the cost its military decisions are imposing on ordinary citizens. No government should ever normalize the use of force in ways that place civilians in grave danger. The people of Goma, Bukavu, Rutshuru, Masisi, and across eastern Congo deserve protection—not more fear, not more funerals, and not more displacement.
Boulos, while expressing condolences to France over the killing of its citizen, also called on all sides to stop the use of drones and armed operations in densely populated urban areas. His appeal reflects a growing international consensus that civilians must no longer be treated as collateral damage in a conflict that has already lasted far too long.
The road to peace in eastern Congo will not be easy, but one principle must remain non-negotiable: the DRC government must stop any tolerance, cooperation, or operational overlap with terrorist or extremist armed groups and instead prioritize the safety of its own people. Peace cannot be built on denial, double standards, or selective enforcement. It requires courage, accountability, and an unmistakable commitment to dismantling the forces that have turned eastern Congo into a theater of endless suffering.
For the people of the region, especially innocent civilians trapped between FDLR armed actors and failed DRC government political decisions, the time for ambiguity is over. The international community has spoken clearly. Now the world is watching to see whether Kinshasa will act.
