Officials from Rwanda and DR Congo met on Thursday, August 7, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the inaugural meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism, established under the US-brokered peace agreement signed by the two countries in late June. The agreement signed in Washington DC focuses on neutralising the FDLR, a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and the lifting of Rwanda’s defensive measures, among other components. ALSO READ: Oversight committee on Rwanda-DR Congo peace meets for first time The mechanism was created to enable both countries to work together, along with regional and international partners, to promote security, stability, and development in the region, recognising that peace and prosperity are interdependent. It is tasked with establishing joint procedures and reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency in operations aimed at achieving a verifiable and irreversible end to DR Congo's support for the FDLR and related armed groups. It also seeks to prohibit all forms of domestic and foreign support to the militia. In addition, the mechanism also aims to enable processes for identifying, assessing, locating, and neutralising the FDLR, in line with the Concept of Operations (CONOPS), agreed in Luanda, Angola in 2024. The Washington agreement built on the CONOPS, a document adopted during the Angola-mediated talks between Rwanda and DR Congo. ALSO READ: Details of Rwanda-DR Congo peace agreement signed in Washington Last week, a joint oversight committee monitoring the implementation of the Washington agreement also held its first meeting. It included representatives from Rwanda, DR Congo, the United States, Qatar, and the African Union, represented by Togo, whose President Faure Gnassingbe is the AU-appointed mediator for DR Congo efforts. The committee is responsible for overseeing implementation, resolving disputes, and addressing any violations of the June 27 peace agreement.
