The Democratic Republic of Congo’s president accused Rwanda on Monday of violating a U.S.-brokered peace agreement signed just five days earlier, as the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group pressed a rapid offensive toward a key town on the Burundi border.
President Felix Tshisekedi told Congo’s National Assembly that Rwandan forces and their allies launched attacks with heavy weapons in South Kivu province the day after he and Rwandan President Paul Kagame put their signatures to the accord in Washington on Dec. 4.
“Despite our good faith and the recently ratified agreement, it is clear that Rwanda is already violating its commitments,” Tshisekedi said.
Rwanda did not immediately respond to the accusations. Kigali has repeatedly denied supporting M23 and says its military presence in eastern Congo is aimed at countering armed groups linked to the 1994 genocide.
The agreement, mediated by the United States with Qatari assistance, reaffirmed a June peace framework. President Donald Trump, who hosted the signing ceremony, called it “an amazing day” and a potential economic breakthrough that would secure U.S. access to Congo’s vast deposits of cobalt and other critical minerals.
M23 advances on Uvira
Fighting has intensified in South Kivu, where M23 fighters have captured several villages in recent days. Local officials and military sources said the rebels seized Luvungi, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Uvira, the province’s last major government-held city.
Hundreds of Congolese soldiers and allied Burundian troops crossed into Burundi to escape the advancing rebels, according to witnesses and local authorities. At least 36 civilians were killed in Sange, between Luvungi and Uvira, in apparent grenade and bomb attacks, residents said.
Regional tensions rise
Burundi’s Foreign Ministry on Monday accused Rwanda of shelling its territory near the town of Cibitoke, wounding two people, including a 12-year-old child.
In Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, residents and aid workers described growing alarm as M23 forces moved south. Congolese military officials acknowledged disarray in their ranks and among allied forces, saying months of reinforcements had failed to halt the rebel advance.
U.S. expresses concern
The U.S. State Department said it was “deeply concerned” by the surge in violence.
“Rwanda must prevent further escalation,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
A senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that Washington was closely watching developments and that the president expected “immediate results” from the agreement.
Eastern Congo has endured more than three decades of conflict fueled by dozens of armed groups vying for power and resources. Multiple cease-fires and peace deals have collapsed in recent years, leaving millions displaced and deepening a humanitarian crisis that aid groups describe as one of the world’s worst.
As M23 fighters close in on Uvira, many Congolese fear the latest accord will join a long list of broken promises.
Agencies contributed to this report
