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The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, has accused Rwanda of violating a newly signed peace agreement intended to halt escalating violence in the country’s volatile eastern regions.
Speaking in a national address from parliament on Monday, Tshisekedi said Rwandan forces had launched attacks in South Kivu province just days after both presidents signed the US-brokered accord in Washington.
“Despite our good faith and the recently ratified agreement, it is clear that Rwanda has already failed to honour its commitments,” he declared.
The agreement, signed at the urging of US President Donald Trump, was celebrated by Washington as a breakthrough aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo.
The deal includes economic provisions allowing the United States access to strategic minerals in the region—a move widely viewed as part of Washington’s efforts to counter China’s growing influence in Africa.
Trump hailed the accord as a “miracle”, but optimism quickly faded as fresh fighting broke out almost immediately, forcing hundreds of civilians to flee into Rwanda.
Tshisekedi said that within 24 hours of signing the deal, Rwandan troops had carried out or supported attacks using heavy weapons at multiple locations across South Kivu.
The eastern provinces of the DRC have been plunged into renewed chaos following the resurgence of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia, which earlier this year captured Goma, a major strategic city in North Kivu.
Since returning to active combat in 2021, the group has seized vast territories and displaced tens of thousands of people, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis that has already stretched aid services to breaking point.
According to military sources, recent days have seen M23 fighters engage in heavy clashes with Congolese forces, who are supported by Burundian troops.
The group is now advancing towards Uvira, the last major town in South Kivu not under its control.
Fighting was reported near the town of Luvungi on Monday, while explosions were recorded in Sange, which lies between Luvungi and Uvira.
UN experts warned at the weekend that both the M23 and Rwandan forces had perpetrated serious abuses, including executions, mass displacement, arbitrary arrests and detentions.
The militia now appears to be consolidating control after capturing Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, following its earlier victory in Goma.
Rwanda denies supporting the rebel group, arguing instead that militant groups linked to perpetrators of the 1994 genocide pose a direct threat to its national security.
The conflict in the DRC has long drawn in neighbouring states, with Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi repeatedly accused of intervening either to support armed groups or bolster Congo’s government.
Burundi, which views Uvira’s stability as crucial given its location across Lake Tanganyika from its commercial capital, Bujumbura, has significantly increased its military presence in Congo.
Originally deploying around 10,000 troops in 2023, Burundian sources say that the force has now grown to as many as 20,000 soldiers.
Military officials confirmed that at least 20 Burundian soldiers have been killed in clashes over the past week.
Meanwhile, thousands of Congolese civilians have fled into both Rwanda and Burundi, according to witnesses and humanitarian organisations, as violence continues to spread deeper into the region.
