Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, said that the issue of the FDLR terrorist group must be resolved based on the Washington Peace Agreement, rather than introducing a new plan.
In an interview with The New Times, Minister Nduhungirehe said that the Washington Agreement, signed by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is the foundation for lasting peace and sustainable development in the region. He said that for the agreement to produce results, the FDLR must be dismantled.
He explained that the agreement is based on the Luanda talks, which were led by Angola from 2022 until the end of 2024. During those talks, Rwanda and the DRC agreed on a plan known as ‘CONOPS’, aimed at dismantling the FDLR and enabling Rwanda to remove the defensive measures it had put in place.
He said: “The Washington Agreement is, in fact, based on the action plan we agreed upon in Luanda to eliminate the FDLR, whose members participated in the Genocide, so that Rwanda can remove the defensive measures it put in place.”
Minister Nduhungirehe said that there are no weaknesses or gaps in the Washington Peace Agreement, and therefore what is needed is to implement it without going around the agreed commitments.
He said: “The agreement itself is sufficient. What we need is its implementation. We do not need to renegotiate it because we agree with its provisions.”
FDLR Did Not Sign the Washington Agreement
Minister Nduhungirehe said Rwanda considers the FDLR issue one of the key matters that must be addressed under the Washington Agreement in order to achieve peace and development in the region.
He rejected an agreement reportedly made between the DRC government and the FDLR, under which the group would lay down its arms and be reintegrated into civilian life. He explained that the group has instead been incorporated into the DRC armed forces.
He said: “The FDLR must be dismantled as provided for in the Washington Agreement. It is an issue that must be resolved under the Washington Agreement; the FDLR is not a party that signed the agreement. And the FDLR works with the DRC armed forces; it has been incorporated into the DRC army.”
He continued: “We saw a statement in which the FDLR wrote to the DRC government, and then the DRC government responded to the FDLR leader. It is a joke. As we see it, these are tactics intended to delay things, and they cannot deceive anyone. And this is not the first time this has happened.”
Minister Nduhungirehe recalled that in March 2024, Dr. Christophe Lutundula, who was then the DRC Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that his country would present a plan to dismantle the FDLR. However, only four days later, he said that he did not know where the fighters of the group were located.
On March 29, 2026, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the DRC armed forces, Lt. Jacques Ndulu Ychaligonza, travelled to the city of Kisangani for an event described as the launch of operations to dismantle the FDLR. However, according to the minister, nothing has been done so far.
Two days later, helicopters belonging to the DRC armed forces transported approximately 700 weapons, ammunition and money to the FDLR in Walikale Territory, according to Minister Nduhungirehe.
He said: “They are known for speaking with two different voices. Now they are trying another way of delaying things by announcing agreements intended to change the situation. This is because there are demands that should not be accepted concerning a group of genocidaires attempting to seek a political platform in Rwanda.”
Political Will Is Needed
Minister Nduhungirehe believes that the reason the Washington Peace Agreement has not produced results more than a year after its signing is the lack of sufficient political will on the part of the DRC government to implement it.
Following the agreement, several meetings were held between representatives of the two countries to review what had been implemented, what had not been implemented, and the challenges encountered.
Minister Nduhungirehe said that another meeting is scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland. However, he said that if the DRC government does not have the political will to dismantle the FDLR, even a thousand meetings would not produce results.
He said: “Meetings are taking place. We can hold meetings between the two countries, but what we need is to resolve one issue that will enable us to move forward. What is needed is not to hold many meetings; what we want is to demonstrate the political will to implement what we signed.”
Rwanda Accuses DRC of Supporting FDLR
He stated that the DRC government continues to support the FDLR, providing it with weapons and political support, and that it cannot claim not to know where the group’s fighters are located.
He said: “Because they are under pressure over a known issue that is written on paper and signed by the President of Congo, they are now trying tactics to delay things, including signing agreements aimed at delaying the dismantling of the FDLR. They know where the FDLR is, they work with them, and they know where its units are located.”
Rwanda Seeks Tangible Progress
Minister Nduhungirehe said Rwanda has informed the mediator, the United States, that what is needed is tangible progress rather than signing new agreements or establishing plans intended to delay the implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement.
