Sunday, June 29, 2025 — HAN
NAIROBI — The African Union has described the peace agreement signed between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda as a “significant milestone” in efforts to end decades of violence in eastern DRC.
For over 30 years, eastern DRC has been gripped by conflict, recently worsened by the advance of the M23 militia — an ethnic Tutsi rebel group widely believed to receive backing from Rwanda.
AU Commission head Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who witnessed the signing in Washington on Friday, commended both nations and welcomed “this significant milestone toward advancing peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region.” He also praised the “constructive and supportive role” played by the United States and Qatar in facilitating the breakthrough.
The agreement follows a major offensive by the M23 this year, during which the group seized swaths of mineral-rich territory, including Goma, a strategic city in eastern DRC. While the deal does not directly address the rebel group’s territorial gains, it calls for Rwanda to halt its “defensive measures.”
Rwanda has consistently denied supporting the M23 and insists that efforts should focus on dismantling the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) — a Hutu rebel group linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The new accord includes a commitment to “neutralize” the FDLR.
The agreement is seen as a crucial step, but observers say sustained diplomacy will be needed to translate it into lasting peace.
