Rwandan Foreign Minister Condemns “Biased” US Mediation Amid Stalled DRC Peace Agreement
In a recent interview on France 24, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, strongly criticized the United States’ role in mediating the ongoing conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accusing the US of enforcing “unfair” and “one-sided” sanctions.
A year after the signing of the Washington peace agreement, tensions remain high as both nations accuse each other of failing to fulfill their commitments.
According to the Rwandan Foreign Minister, the core of the agreement required the DRC to neutralize the FDLR, a genocidal militia, and for Rwanda to lift its defensive measures.
However, Nduhungirehe stated that the DRC government lacks the political will to implement a ceasefire, claiming that drone attacks have only intensified since the pact was signed. Instead of neutralizing the FDLR, he alleged the Congolese government is actually “giving weapons, supplying weapons and many ammunitions to the FDLR”.
Despite the DRC’s alleged failure to uphold its end of the deal, the US has focused its disciplinary actions primarily on Rwanda. Recent actions by the Trump administration include sanctions against the Rwandan military in March and, more recently on June 25, against a Rwandan gold refinery named Gasabo Gold. Furthermore, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought the withdrawal of an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 Rwandan troops from DRC territory.
Nduhungirehe expressed heavy frustration with the US approach, stating that Rwanda is “disappointed by the increasingly biased US mediation”. He questioned the logic of punishing only one side of a bilateral agreement, noting, “You cannot have peace with only one party implementing its part of the deal”. He further described the US sanctions as “unfair, they are one-sided and they are counterproductive,” warning that such actions only embolden the DRC’s president to continue violating the ceasefire.
When pressed on whether US business and mining interests in the DRC might be tainting their diplomatic judgment, Nduhungirehe refrained from direct accusations but remarked that “it’s not natural” for the US to admit the DRC failed its commitments while solely sanctioning Rwanda. He added, “It’s up to them to answer that question but for us you cannot have peace by sanctioning one party… unfairly”.
The diplomatic fallout is further complicated by the DRC’s recent legal actions. On June 26, the DRC filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the nation of waging a genocidal campaign in the eastern Congo since 1996. Nduhungirehe sharply dismissed the lawsuit, calling it “pure cynicism” and a “political maneuver by the DRC who is collaborating with the genocidal movement named FDLR”. He countered the ICJ claims by accusing the Congolese government of fueling hate speech, shelling civilian populations, and utilizing criminal militias and mercenaries.
As the region continues to grapple with violence and civilian casualties, the implementation of the Washington peace agreement remains at a tense stalemate.
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