The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have renewed their commitment to the Washington Accord, a peace deal signed in June 2025 aimed at easing tensions in the volatile Great Lakes region.
The pledge followed the second meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee in the United States on Wednesday, attended by delegates from the DRC, Rwanda, the US, Qatar, and the African Union.
The agreement binds both Kigali and Kinshasa to respect one another’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity, while resolving disputes peacefully. But progress has been uneven. In a joint statement, committee members conceded that certain areas of the deal had advanced slowly, though they stressed a shared determination to accelerate implementation.
Talks centred on security challenges in eastern DRC, where sporadic violence continues despite the peace accord. Both sides agreed to bolster compliance and pledged to step up efforts to cut off support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a militia long destabilising the region.
In a significant move, Kinshasa reiterated that it does not back the FDLR, while Kigali reaffirmed its respect for Congolese sovereignty. The two governments further committed to halting all state support for non-state armed groups, with no conditions attached, save where strictly necessary to facilitate the accord’s rollout.
To strengthen cooperation, Rwanda and the DRC will establish a joint military and intelligence channel, designed to improve information sharing and build trust between their security services. This mechanism will be in place ahead of the next Joint Oversight Committee meeting, scheduled to take place in Doha.
For now, the Washington Accord remains fragile but alive, with both neighbours under pressure to turn words into lasting peace.
