The governments of Congo and Rwanda remain at odds over a recent protocol concerning the disarmament of the Rwandan rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), operating in eastern Congo.
Congo announced that the FDLR had agreed to a protocol committing to disarmament, demobilisation, and cantonment. This move is seen by Kinshasa as progress towards fulfilling obligations under a peace agreement brokered by the United States in Washington last year.
The FDLR, a group founded by ethnic Hutu fighters, including some implicated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is a central issue in the peace deal aimed at ending conflict in eastern Congo. The agreement calls for the neutralisation of the FDLR and the disengagement of Rwandan forces from the region.
However, Rwanda has rejected the protocol, describing it as a delaying tactic. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe emphasized that the peace deal demands the neutralisation of the FDLR rather than negotiations with the group.
The protocol, obtained by Reuters, outlines the FDLR's agreement in principle to disarm and move into cantonment sites, contingent on security guarantees and protection from forced extradition to Rwanda. Yet, it lacks specifics on the number of fighters involved, location of cantonment sites, timelines for disarmament, or confirmation of any weapons surrendered.
Both countries continue to accuse each other of supporting rebel groups, with Rwanda alleging Congolese cooperation with the FDLR and Congo accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels. Despite the peace deal, fighting persists in eastern Congo.
