Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday held the first meeting of a joint oversight committee, marking a tentative step forward in implementing a fragile peace agreement reached last month in Washington.
The meeting, attended by representatives from the African Union, Qatar, and the United States, was convened in Washington within the agreed 45-day window, fulfilling one of the key timelines of the June deal brokered by the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
The agreement seeks to end years of hostilities in eastern DRC that have killed thousands and destabilized a region rich in valuable minerals such as cobalt, gold, tantalum, lithium, and copper.
Under the deal, Rwanda pledged to withdraw its troops from eastern Congo within 90 days, and both countries committed to forming a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days. A monitoring and verification plan for the withdrawal, agreed upon in 2023, was also to be implemented within three months.
However, key commitments remain unfulfilled. The joint security coordination mechanism has yet to meet, operations against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group with ties to the perpetrators of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, have not started, and no visible withdrawal of Rwandan forces has occurred.
Despite the delays, Trump’s senior Africa adviser Massad Boulos dismissed concerns of derailment. “There was no timeline for that,” he said regarding operations against the FDLR and troop withdrawal. “If you look at the chronology since April, it’s been extensive and very much on point.”
Still, sources close to the negotiations acknowledged implementation delays, though they emphasized the deal was not in jeopardy. On the ground, military and diplomatic sources report that armed groups including M23 rebels and Wazalendo militias have fortified their front-line positions, raising concerns of renewed conflict.
The joint oversight committee is expected to serve as a forum for dispute resolution and coordination as efforts continue to de-escalate tensions and move toward a durable peace in the volatile Great Lakes region.
Written By Rodney Mbua
