Rwanda has demanded accountability over the failure of Kinshasa to fulfil its commitments under the Washington Accords, particularly the neutralisation of the FDLR and the end of cooperation between the militia and Congolese forces.
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The FDLR is a militia formed by remnants of forces responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It has operated in eastern DR Congo for decades, attacked Rwanda and engaged in violence and persecution targeting Banyamulenge and other Tutsi communities in the region.
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The Washington Accords, signed by Presidents Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi in Washington on December 4, 2025, require the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda’s lifting of its defensive measures against the militia.
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Speaking during a UN Security Council briefing in New York on Tuesday, September 29, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb Martin Ngoga, said the country had taken steps to lift its defensive measures and reported them through the Washington mechanisms.
He said Rwanda’s concern is that, while it has moved to implement its commitments, the FDLR remains operational and continues to operate alongside Congolese forces and other armed groups.
"Claims should be verified, commitments should be measured, and all parties should be held to the same standard. When we apply that standard, a serious implementation gap becomes evident: the FDLR. Its neutralization and the cessation of collaboration between FARDC and FDLR are not peripheral issues,” Ngoga told the Council.
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Ngoga cited the UN Secretary-General’s report as confirming that the FDLR remains operational in Rutshuru, Masisi, Nyiragongo and Walikale.
He further said information shared through the Joint Oversight Committee (JOC) and the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) indicated continued operational collaboration involving FARDC, FDLR, Wazalendo and other allied forces throughout 2026.
Among the incidents he cited were the movement and distribution of ammunition, weapons, food and cash to areas where the FDLR and other armed groups were operating.
On February 10 and 11, he said, a FARDC helicopter and military trucks transported 13 tons of small-calibre ammunition to Pinga and Kibua, with six tons subsequently distributed to FDLR and other armed-group commanders.
On March 8, an FARDC helicopter reportedly airlifted 12 tons of ammunition and food rations to Ntoto, which were subsequently distributed among FARDC, FDLR, PARECO and APCLS elements.
On March 31, FARDC helicopters delivered 693 rifles, six tons of ammunition and cash incentives destined for the FDLR and other armed groups, according to Ngoga.
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He said the pattern continued through April, June and July, while information from August 15 indicated FARDC operating alongside CNRD/FLN, FDLR and Wazalendo/Nyatura in Walungu Territory.
"The significance is not any single incident. It is the continuity of the pattern from January to August, during the very period in which the neutralization of the FDLR was supposed to be advancing,” he said.
Ngoga noted that the information had been shared through JOC and JSCM in real time.
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He also rejected an arrangement being advanced between the Congolese government and the FDLR as a substitute for the neutralisation process agreed under the Washington framework.
"Rwanda cautions against any attempt to shift the goalposts,” Ngoga said. "Such an arrangement does not constitute the neutralization of the FDLR agreed under the Washington framework, nor was it part of the Washington Accords.”
"We view it as an attempt to substitute a separate arrangement for a clear commitment already undertaken, and as a delaying tactic that risks prolonging rather than resolving the security threat.”
He said the JSCM had already identified and mapped FDLR positions, including its political and military command structures.
The ambassador also pointed to protocols concluded between the Congolese government and FDLR leaders and affiliated armed groups, including one signed on August 29.
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Rwanda’s position, he said, is that the existing Washington framework already provides the roadmap for dealing with the militia.
"The Washington Peace Agreement, together with the agreed CONOPS and OPORD, already establishes clear obligations, operational arrangements, sequencing, verification mechanisms and implementation timelines,” Ngoga said.
He said those commitments should not be replaced by separate arrangements with the very militia DR Congo committed to neutralise.
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He further acknowledged that Rwanda considers the continued presence of the FDLR and its cooperation with Congolese forces a direct security threat because of the militia’s genocidal ideology and its proximity to Rwanda.
Ngoga said the FDLR’s ideology, which originated from forces responsible for the Genocide against the Tutsi, has continued to affect Tutsi Congolese communities in eastern DR Congo. He also pointed to the group’s history of cross-border attacks against Rwanda.
"The continued presence of the FDLR in eastern DRC, its genocidal ideology, and the continued collaboration and support it receives from the DRC government constitute a direct and existential security threat to Rwanda,” he said.
He stressed that Rwanda does not view the threat as distant.
Goma and Bukavu, he noted, are immediately across Rwanda’s western frontier and are only about three to five hours by road from Kigali, while the same cities are approximately 1,500 kilometres from Kinshasa.
"That geography matters,” Ngoga said.
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He argued that an armed group with a genocidal ideology, organised military structures and a history of attacks against Rwanda, operating across its border alongside forces of a neighbouring state, cannot be treated as a remote security concern.
"For Rwanda, the continued military presence of the FDLR in eastern DRC is as immediate a security concern as a comparable armed threat operating within Rwanda itself,” he said.
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Ngoga reiterated that Rwanda has also proposed a tripartite verification mechanism involving Rwanda, DR Congo and the United States, which is facilitating the process.
"Rwanda is implementing its commitments and is prepared for those steps to be verified. We ask for the same from all parties,” Ngoga said.
Call for equal accountability
Ngoga said Rwanda welcomed the diplomatic momentum created by the Washington and Doha processes and recognised the efforts of the United States, Qatar, the African Union, the AU mediator and other partners.
He said Rwanda continues to participate in the JOC and JSCM and remains committed to implementing the Washington Accords in good faith.
"There is growing concern that accountability has become increasingly focused on Rwanda, subjecting it to public criticism and pressure, while the DRC’s failure to fulfil its own commitments has not attracted comparable scrutiny or consequences,” he said.
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Ngoga warned that such an imbalance could encourage DR Congo to evade its responsibilities and undermine confidence in the wider peace process.
"Public scrutiny, pressure and accountability must be applied equally and consistently to both parties, without selectivity or double standards,” he said.
He said the credibility of the Washington Accords depends on both Rwanda and DR Congo implementing their respective commitments in a timely and verifiable manner.
The ambassador also stressed that Rwanda continues to see the Washington and Doha processes as the route towards a lasting settlement, but said agreements would only have an impact if their commitments are carried out.
"Agreements alone will not bring peace. Implementation will,” Ngoga said.
He said Rwanda remains committed to a lasting peace based on implementation, verification, dialogue and the legitimate security of communities across the region.