UPDATE - DR Congo’s president accuses Rwanda of violating US-brokered peace deal

ADDS REMARKS FROM BURUNDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda on Monday of violating a US-brokered peace agreement signed last week in Washington, DC aimed at ending a decades-long conflict in eastern Congo.

Despite the formal commitment made in Washington, "Rwanda is already violating its commitments," Felix Tshisekedi said in a speech to parliament.

On Dec. 4, Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed the historic peace and economic agreement, which followed a preliminary peace agreement signed in June by the foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda that was brokered by the US, with President Donald Trump hosting the officials.

However, in his address to lawmakers, the Congolese president claimed that the day after the agreement was signed, the Rwandan army fired heavy weapons from the Rwandan town of Bugarama into Congo, causing significant human and material damage in the localities of Kaziba, Katogota and Lubarika in South Kivu.

This is a violation of the ceasefire agreement, he said.

However, when contacted by Anadolu on Monday, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe reiterated his comments on the accusations, calling similar accusations against the Rwandan army made by the Congolese military "ridiculous" and an attempt to shift blame.

During the signing ceremony, Kagame said that while numerous mediation efforts had been made, none had succeeded in resolving the underlying issues and that the US-led peace deal contains "everything needed to end this conflict once and for all."

However, Tshisekedi reminded lawmakers in his speech Monday that the agreement calls for the "immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern Congo, dismantling of foreign armed groups, including the (Rwandan) FDLR rebels, the cessation of hostilities and the establishment of a joint security mechanism to oversee implementation."

Tshisekedi said his country remains optimistic and believes in the diplomatic path to resolving the conflict, reaffirming Kinshasa's commitment to upholding the signed agreement.

Violence has persisted in eastern Congo for decades, killing thousands and displacing millions, according to Kinshasa and the UN.

Clashes that broke out last week between the AFC-M23 rebel group and government forces continued Monday in Masisi territory, North Kivu province, according to local and rebel sources.

The most recent stage of the conflict erupted in 2021, when the M23 rebel group resurfaced and launched an offensive against Congolese government forces.

The UN, Kinshasa and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23, which Kigali denies.

- Burundi accuses Rwanda of continuing ‘destabilizing activities’ on its border

Separately, Burundi’s Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana on Monday accused Rwanda of continuing “destabilizing activities” on the border with Congo, vowing his country’s troops deployed there will not withdraw until their mission has been “fully accomplished.”

About 15,000 Burundian soldiers are reportedly currently deployed in Congo as part of a joint mission to support Kinshasa against rebels fighting in the east.

Speaking to representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations accredited to Burundi, Bizimana denounced the persistent hostilities in the region despite the US-brokered peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo signed in Washington.

He claimed that Rwanda continues to “deploy its soldiers” and “carry out attacks” against the Burundian troops in Congo, warning that “any attack targeting Burundian citizens or soldiers deployed in the DRC will never be tolerated.”

There was no immediate reaction from Rwanda.

But tensions between the two neighboring countries have been tense since the beginning of last year after Burundi closed its border with Rwanda following accusations that its neighbor was backing Burundian rebels based in Congo, a charge Rwanda denies.

At around the same time, the Rwandan government accused Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye of inciting divisions among Rwandans.