The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, has said Rwanda is "disappointed by the increasingly biased U.S mediation” in efforts to resolve the security crisis in eastern DR Congo.
He argued that the mediator has failed to hold the Congolese government accountable, despite acknowledgements that Kinshasa has not implemented key commitments under the Washington Accords signed in December 2025.
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Speaking during an interview with France24 on Monday, June 29, Nduhungirehe criticised Washington's sanctions on Rwanda Defence Force, military officers and other individuals, saying they were "one-sided."
He said that the US government has ignored violations by Kinshasa, which continues to deploy combat drones to attack civilians, and focused its sanctions on Kigali, which has taken steps to implement the agreements.
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"We are disappointed by the increasingly biased U.S. mediation when we have two parties signing an agreement with commitments,” Nduhungirehe said.
"DR Congo does not respect the ceasefire and has not neutralised the FDLR (a key component of the accords). If the Congolese government did not implement the main part of the CONOPS, why do we have sanctions against only one side?”
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Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers signed the Washington Peace Agreement on June 27, 2025, under U.S mediation. On December 4, 2025, Presidents Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi signed the Washington Accords.
These agreements commit Kinshasa to neutralise the FDLR, while Rwanda is expected to lift defensive measures taken in response to the group’s security threat. The FDLR was formed by remnants of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The UN- and US-sanctioned militia has been integrated into the Congolese government coalition in the war with the AFC/M23 rebels.
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‘The agreement has not been implemented’
Nduhungirehe said the agreement has stalled due to what he considers a lack of political will from Kinshasa.
"The main component was a concept of operations to neutralise the FDLR genocidal force and to lift Rwanda's defensive measures,” he said.
"This agreement was not implemented because of mainly one thing: the political will by the government in Kinshasa. As we speak, the drone attacks have been intensified after the signing of the Washington agreement.”
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He also accused the Congolese government of continuing to support armed groups instead of dismantling the FDLR.
"Instead of going that route of neutralisation, the government of President Félix Tshisekedi has been giving weapons, supplying weapons and many ammunitions to the FDLR,” he said.
He noted that Tshisekedi's government had continued to mobilise political support for the FDLR by facilitating the militia's network that includes Jean-Luc Habyarimana, the son of the former President Juvenal Habyarimana.
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Questions over sanctions
Nduhungirehe’s remarks come after statements by US Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos before the UN Security Council, on June 27, acknowledging that DR Congo had not fulfilled its obligation to neutralise the FDLR in areas under its control.
He also referred to comments by U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on June 4, where he said Rwanda was implementing its commitments under the Washington Accords, even though noting they were not enough.
Nduhungirehe said those statements raise questions about the sanctions imposed on Rwanda.
"Marco Rubio said that Rwanda is implementing its part of the agreement, but what did he say about the other side? The other side has done nothing, not a single start of implementation of the agreement,” he said.
He stressed that Rwanda’s obligations are tied to those of Kinshasa.
"An agreement is signed by two parties, not only by Rwanda. We signed with DR Congo, with the support of the US mediator. It’s not a unilateral agreement that Rwanda signed with itself.”
Nduhungirehe described the measures as "unfair,” "one-sided,” and "counterproductive.”
"It is not the role of a mediator to take sanctions,” he said. "And if even a mediator were to take sanctions, taking sanctions against only one side can only embolden the other.”
He argued that the sanctions have worsened violations on the ground.
"As we speak now, the attacks against the Banyamulenge and the attacks against AFC/M23 in violation of the ceasefire have increased because President Tshisekedi is emboldened even by those U.S sanctions,” he said.
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Response to ICJ case
Nduhungirehe also dismissed DR Congo’s case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, where Kinshasa accuses Kigali of a "genocidal campaign” in eastern DR Congo allegedly since 1996.
"This is pure cynicism. It’s a political manoeuvre by DR Congo, which is collaborating with the genocidal movement, the FDLR,” he said.
He further noted that the Congolese government continues to work with armed groups and is responsible for attacks on civilians, including the Banyamulenge community.
"Who collaborates with the genocidal force? It’s the government,” he said. "Who is shelling civilian population, the Banyamulenge? The government of President Tshisekedi.”
"Who is fuelling hate speech against the Congolese Banyamulenge and the Congolese Tutsi? It is people linked to President Tshisekedi.”
Nduhungirehe added that Rwanda would allow its competent authorities to handle the legal aspects of the ICJ case.