DRC Compliance with the Washington Agreement: Where Félix Tshisekedi Lied Again

During his national address on Thursday, August 27, 2026 in a lengthy speech dedicated to convening a national dialogue in the Democratic Republic of Congo President Tshisekedi reaffirmed the DRC’s commitment to the Washington process, which had established the signing of a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda.

Under this agreement, the DRC committed to carrying out targeted, time-bound actions to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

This condition was presented in the accord as a prerequisite for lifting Rwanda's defense measures in eastern DRC, as the FDLR are considered a permanent threat to Rwanda's security and the stability of its democratic institutions.

​It should be noted that several UN expert reports have established close collaboration between the FARDC and the FDLR, with others detailing their integration into the Congolese army.

Start of the masquerade

on March 29, 2026, at the General Bauma camp in Kisangani, a ceremony was held to launch the campaign to hunt down the FDLR under the leadership of General Jacques Ychaligonza. Three battalions were prepared for this mission to secure the voluntary or forced disarmament of FDLR combatants and their cantonment in Kisangani prior to repatriation to Rwanda.

To this day, the outcome of this much-touted operation remains unknown.

Conversely, field reports indicate an intensification of cooperation between these former Rwandan génocidaires and the Congolese army, this time with the involvement of Burundi, an ally of Kinshasa in the conflict against the Congolese AFC/M23 rebellion.

The FDLR are receiving funding, military equipment, and other support from the Congolese government, and several Rwandan political actors linked to this genocidal movement are welcomed with honors in Kinshasa.

As if persisting in its cunning, hypocrisy, and attempt to lull a section of the international community to sleep, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo presented, in late July 2026, a memorandum of understanding concluded with the FDLR providing for their demilitarization, demobilization, and cantonment.

The protocol, presented by the Minister of Regional Integration, Floribert Anzuluni, was brandished by Kinshasa as having been validated by the political (Victor Biringiro) and military (General Omega) leaders of the FOCA branch of the FDLR.

Rwandan authorities were quick to denounce Kinshasa's deception, arguing that it had crafted a fictitious plan to distract international opinion. Kigali blasted Kinshasa's lack of political will to work toward a definitive resolution of the crisis.

During a press conference held on August 24, 2026, in Kigali, Rwandan President Paul Kagame dismissed the FDLR disarmament initiatives announced by Kinshasa as superficial and called for addressing the root causes of the conflict in the eastern DRC.

President Paul Kagame emphasized that Rwanda's core problem within the context of the regional security crisis lies in the FDLR, who are responsible for the genocide.

Today, it is evident that Kinshasa is determined to work with the FDLR in a logic of enduring cooperation aimed at strengthening them and destabilizing Rwandan institutions.

As long as the FDLR remain in the DRC, protected and supported by the Kinshasa regime, Rwanda reserves the right to defend itself against any actor and any State working to destabilize a country that has endured a painful genocide.