The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Rwanda of breaching a US-brokered peace agreement signed in Washington, DC on 4 December 2025, undermining efforts to end the decades-long conflict in eastern Congo.
Addressing Parliament on Monday, December 8, President Felix Tshisekedi alleged that, despite the formal commitments made in the US capital, “Rwanda is already violating its commitments.”
He claimed that the day after the signing, the Rwandan army launched heavy-weapon fire from the Rwandan town of Bugarama into Congolese territory, causing extensive human and material damage in Kaziba, Katogota and Lubarika in South Kivu. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous,” accusing Kinshasa of shifting blame.
The Washington agreement, signed by Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame, followed a preliminary peace accord reached in June by the foreign ministers of both countries under US mediation, with President Donald Trump hosting the officials. Kagame had hailed the deal as containing “everything needed to end this conflict once and for all”.
However, Tshisekedi reminded lawmakers that the framework requires the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern Congo, the dismantling of foreign armed groups including the FDLR, a cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a joint security mechanism.
He reiterated Congo’s faith in the diplomatic track and affirmed Kinshasa’s commitment to implementing the accord, even as clashes between AFC-M23 rebels and government forces persisted on Monday in Masisi territory, North Kivu. The M23 resurgence in 2021 reignited long-running violence that has killed thousands and displaced millions, with Kinshasa and the UN continuing to accuse Rwanda of backing the rebels — a claim Kigali denies.
Separately, regional tensions intensified as Burundi’s Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana on Monday accused Rwanda of continuing “destabilising activities” along the Congo border. He vowed that the roughly 15,000 Burundian troops deployed in eastern Congo would remain until their mission is “fully accomplished”.
Bizimana alleged that Rwanda continues to deploy soldiers and attack Burundian forces operating in Congo, warning that any assault on Burundian citizens or troops “will never be tolerated.” Rwanda has yet to respond. Relations between the two neighbours deteriorated early last year after Burundi closed its border with Rwanda over accusations that Kigali was supporting Burundian rebels in Congo — a charge Rwanda rejects.