M23 withdrawal from eastern DRC not effective, Tshisekedi tells Kampala Summit

________________

President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has said the announced withdrawal of the AFC/M23 rebel coalition from eastern DRC has not taken effect on the ground, warning that continued occupation by armed forces undermines recent peace agreements.

Speaking via Zoom during a ministerial meeting and extraordinary summit on the security situation in the DRC and the region held at State House, Entebbe, Tshisekedi said his country had made compromises for regional stability, but violations began almost immediately after the signing of a new peace accord.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni is chairing the Ad-Hoc Summit on the Security Situation in the Eastern DR Congo and the region at State House, Entebbe

“The withdrawal of M23 has not been effective on the ground. They announced the withdrawal, but we cannot consider this to be a withdrawal since it has not been operationalised. We want the full withdrawal of Rwandan forces from DRC in accordance with the agreement that we signed,” said the Congolese leader.

He told the meeting that the DRC was not seeking sympathy from regional leaders but was reminding them of their shared responsibility to restore peace.

“DRC has not come to ask for compassion but to remind the regional states of the magnitude of our collective responsibility to ensure a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We continue to condemn unequivocally the violations of the agreement that was signed."

Tshisekedi said the situation deteriorated less than two days after the signing of the 2025 Peace Agreement. 

“DRC once again has chosen peace for the sake of prosperity in the region. We made some compromises for the stability of the region, but just less than 48 hours after the signing of the 2025 Peace Agreement, the area was occupied by random forces, which is a violation of the agreement,” he said.

He further alleged the presence of foreign troops on Congolese soil, insisting the claims were based on verified information.

“The facts that I am talking about are not speculation, and there are confirmations of over 7,000 Rwandan soldiers in the DRC territory, and these are incidents that indeed show massive violation of the agreement. The attacks have gone beyond the borders and have even reached Burundi,” Tshisekedi said.

The meeting at Entebbe brought together ministers and representatives of heads of state from the region to assess the security situation and review the implementation of existing peace frameworks.

Rwanda defends its position

During the plenary session that was chaired by Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda defended its position, saying it remains committed to regional peace efforts and existing agreements.

“Rwanda remains fully committed to playing its part, including fulfilling all our obligations and calls upon actors to implement all the signed agreements,” the Rwandan head of delegation said.

Rwanda, however, raised concerns about the continued presence of the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu armed group operating from eastern DRC.

Museveni says he is encouraged by the discussions and the strong commitment of participating countries to collaborate for lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region

“The key concern for Rwanda that cannot be overlooked is the continued presence of Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR)… Right now, there is an urgent need for the demilitarisation of this negative force, as is clearly stated in the agreement. Failure to address this issue undermines trust and continues to pose a serious threat to regional security,” the official said.

Rwanda also linked the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC to failures in implementing agreed commitments, particularly the ceasefire, and called for effective monitoring mechanisms.

“We urge the operationalisation of the ceasefire monitoring mechanisms because we cannot allow one party, which is supposed to profit, to be the one also overseeing the ceasefire,” the statement said.

Rwanda called for renewed focus on existing peace frameworks and highlighted the need to remain focused on the existing frameworks of the Doha Framework Process and Washington Accord. 

According to John Mulimba, Uganda's foreign affairs state minister in charge of regional cooperation, Sunday’s summit follows a Saturday meeting where a report prepared by technical officials and a joint communiqué were adopted.