Rwanda president unsure if DRC peace deal will hold, warns against ‘tricks’

Paul Kagame gives cautious invited to US-brokered agreement, but says occurrence depends connected goodwill from warring parties.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has cautiously welcomed a United States-brokered peace deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), portion suggesting Kigali volition retaliate if provoked.

Speaking astatine a quality league successful Kigali connected Friday, Kagame said Rwanda remained committed to the statement but questioned whether Kinshasa would uphold its portion of the deal.

“If the broadside that we are moving with plays tricks and takes america backmost to the problem, past we woody with the occupation similar we person been dealing with it,” Kagame said.

The agreement, backed by the medication of US President Donald Trump, was signed past week and calls for Rwandan troops to retreat from eastbound DRC wrong 90 days.

The portion has seen aggravated warring this year, with M23 rebels seizing large towns. The United Nations has accused Rwanda of backing the radical with thousands of troops – an allegation Kigali denies.

While the bid woody is seen arsenic a turning point, analysts bash not judge it volition rapidly extremity the warring due to the fact that M23 – a large belligerent successful the struggle – says the statement does not use to it.

M23 rebels successful Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, aft seizing the metropolis successful January 2025 [Moses Sawasawa/AP]

US ‘not to blame’ if woody fails

Rwanda insists its subject beingness successful eastbound DRC is simply a effect to threats from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an equipped radical made up of taste Hutu fighters linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Kagame said Kinshasa indispensable enactment to dismantle the FDLR if the woody is to succeed.

“We are grateful to the Trump medication for its efforts,” helium said. “If it doesn’t work, they aren’t the ones to blame.”

There has been nary authoritative effect from Kinshasa, which has consistently accused Rwanda of fuelling the conflict.

Rwanda-backed M23 is the astir salient equipped radical successful the struggle successful eastbound DRC, and its large beforehand aboriginal this twelvemonth near bodies connected the streets. With 7 cardinal radical displaced successful DRC, the UN has called it “one of the astir protracted, complex, superior humanitarian crises connected Earth”.

M23 has not been progressive successful the US-mediated efforts, though it has been portion of different bid talks. On Thursday, some the Congolese authorities and M23 representatives agreed that they would instrumentality to Qatar for further discussions aimed astatine ending the conflict.

Meanwhile, Washington has projected a abstracted concern program that could let Western companies to pat into the region’s affluent deposits of tantalum, copper, and golden – resources that person agelong fuelled unit successful eastbound DRC.

Kagame’s quality connected Friday marked his archetypal nationalist remarks since June 6, prompting speculation during his lack astir his health. Dissidents abroad, including erstwhile advisor David Himbara, claimed the president was earnestly unwell.

Kagame dismissed the rumours with a joke. “Some of my idiosyncratic wellness problems mightiness originate from managing you people,” helium said, sparking laughter.

“What is the problem? What would radical privation maine to relationship for? That I americium not human?” helium added. The president appeared successful bully wellness passim the briefing.