DRC-Rwanda: Peace agreement discussions resume Wednesday in Geneva

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda are set to resume discussions on the implementation of their peace agreement on Wednesday, September 16, in Geneva, during the seventh meeting of the joint security coordination mechanism. The session is scheduled to last two days, as several commitments from the Washington process remain to be fulfilled.

Representatives from Kinshasa and Kigali will participate in the discussions alongside the United States, Qatar, Togo as the African Union mediator, and the African Union Commission. The mechanism is responsible for monitoring and coordinating the implementation of the security commitments made by both countries.

During the sixth session, held on August 12 and 13 in Geneva, the parties agreed to advance two initiatives aimed at enhancing the monitoring and verification of the agreement on the ground. They requested the United States to review these proposals and provide feedback at the next meeting.

The Washington agreements, signed on December 4, 2025, reaffirmed the commitments outlined in the peace agreement of June 27, 2025. The framework notably includes the neutralization of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the lifting of Kigali’s defensive measures related to this threat.

The meeting comes amid ongoing fighting in eastern DRC, where the implementation of security commitments continues to face disagreements. No comprehensive details of the agenda for the discussions on September 16 and 17 had been made public by Tuesday.

The joint statement issued after the August session also outlines plans for a trilateral planning conference in October 2026. This conference is expected to result in a revised operational order to guide the coordinated efforts outlined by the security mechanism.