Rwanda and the DRC agree once more to halt hostilities

A mutual commitment was made by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to adhere to Angola’s mediation and prevent tensions over the M23 insurgency in the east of the DRC from rising.

Kigali and Kinshasa “reiterated their appeal to the parties to the conflict in the east of the DRC to respect the ceasefire of 4 August 2024,” according to a dispatch following a meeting between delegations headed by their foreign ministers in Luanda.

According to the Intelligence Experts’ report from August 29 and 30, which was delivered in the Ministerial Meeting on September 14, 2024, “Rwanda reaffirmed its support for the Harmonized Plan,” the statement stated.

Additionally, the DRC emphasized the need of simultaneity and concomitance in the Harmonized Plan’s implementation.

The two states have agreed on a program called the Harmonized Plan that aims to neutralize the FDLR, disengage its forces, and remove Rwanda’s defensive measures.

The FDLR is an armed group made up of former Rwandan genocide offenders. They retreated into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after losing to Paul Kagame’s Rwanda Patriotic Front, and Kigali believes they still have intentions to destabilize Rwanda from there.

Rwanda promised to withdraw its troops from DRC, while DRC pledged to eradicate the FDLR.

Additionally, Kigali and Kinshasa agreed to send representatives to the Reinforced Ad-hoc Verification Mechanism (MAV-R), a regional group that oversees truce compliance and associated matters. The communiqué states that this new structure will be formally introduced in Goma by November 5, 2024, at the latest.

For the first time in three years, there was hope for peace between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Huang Xia, the United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, just one week ago.

Some displaced individuals have been able to return home from the camps as the fighting on the frontlines has subsided.

The discussions have consistently been rejected by the M23 as “bilateral dialogue between Rwanda and the DRC.” The response of the M23 leaders, who are not participating in the negotiations, is still unknown.

Kinshasa has declined to engage in communication with them.