Tshisekedi accuses Rwanda of delaying peace

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi speaks at a session during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2025. [AFP]

The leader of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday accused Rwanda of delaying the implementation of a peace deal that Kinshasa and Kigali signed in Washington in June.

"Rwanda pretends to have withdrawn its troops, but in reality, Rwanda troops continue to be present on Congolese soil and to support the M23," President Felix Tshisekedi said, referring to a Rwandan-backed armed group that made rapid gains in the eastern DRC earlier this year.

Kigali "is trying to gain time for the crisis to worsen," Tshisekedi told journalists on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

"We, from our side, are ready to make peace."

He hinted that his country is looking for greater security cooperation from Washington in return for a stable supply of metals used in electronic devices and batteries, such as cobalt.

The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a region bordering Rwanda with abundant natural resources but plagued by non-state armed groups, has suffered extreme violence for more than three decades.

Since taking up arms again at the end of 2021, the M23 armed group has seized swathes of land in the restive region with Rwanda's backing, triggering a spiraling humanitarian crisis.

A fresh surge of unrest broke out early this year when the M23 captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, setting up their own administrations.

The Congolese government and the M23 signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in Qatar that included a "permanent ceasefire" aimed at halting the conflict.

It followed a separate peace deal between the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed in Washington in June.

Earlier this month, Rwanda slammed Human Rights Watch over a report that used satellite data to show how a military graveyard had seemingly expanded during months of conflict in neighboring DR Congo.