Congo declined to sign a pact to end the M23 crisis, according to the Rwandan foreign minister

In an attempt to assist end the M23 rebel battle in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has forced over 1.7 million people from their homes, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe stated on Saturday that his counterpart in Congo had declined to sign a contract.

Since 2022, the Tutsi-led M23 has been conducting an insurgency in the country’s violent east of central Africa. Rwanda, a neighboring country, is accused by the Congo, the UN, and others of providing the group with military support and weaponry.

Rwanda, which says it has taken “defensive measures,” accuses Congo of fighting with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Hutu rebel organization that has attacked Tutsis in both countries. Rwanda denies aiding M23.

Both nations took part in peace talks in late August with the goal of reducing the hostilities, which have exacerbated the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the area and occasionally stoked concerns about a wider war.

Nduhungirehe told Reuters that a strategy “for neutralizing the FDLR and lifting Rwanda’s defense measures” had been agreed upon and signed by participants in the negotiations, including the head of military intelligence for the Congo.

He made this statement on the fringes of a conference in France between leaders of French-speaking nations, saying that ministers were expected to sign this accord on September 14.

“We were prepared to sign, but the minister from Congo declined. She initially offered feedback on the report, and then, following consultation, she returned. She informed us that she did not support the report’s adoption.”

According to Nduhungirehe, the plan called for Rwanda to ease its “defence measures” a few days after the activities against the FDLR, however the Congolese minister objected to these not occurring at the same time.

An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by a Congolese government representative.

Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi, the leaders of Rwanda and Congo, were present at the meeting in France. Though a three-way meeting was suggested by French President Emmanuel Macron, the two ultimately had separate private encounters with Macron.