Congo-Kinshasa: Neutralizing the FDLR Remains the Key Obstacle to Peace in the East - Kinshasa Focuses On Diplomacy

What the report says

AllAfrica, distributing a Fides News Agency report from Kinshasa dated July 24, 2026, says insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo remains a central issue in the national dialogue initiated by President Félix Tshisekedi. The report focuses on North and South Kivu, where multiple armed groups operate and where the M23 movement is described as holding large areas.

According to Fides, Rwanda’s support for M23 is linked by Kigali to the presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, a Rwandan armed group formed more than 30 years ago by former Hutu fighters associated with the 1994 genocide. The Congolese government had committed, through the Luanda Process and later the 2025 Washington agreements mediated by the United States and Qatar, to an “irreversible and verifiable” neutralization of the FDLR alongside Rwandan disengagement and talks with M23. The report says a mid-July target for progress passed without meaningful change on the ground.

Fides reports that Kinshasa is now emphasizing diplomacy, including a proposed memorandum of understanding for FDLR demobilization. Regional Integration Minister Floribert Anzuluni presented the plan during a diplomatic tour in mid-July that included Uganda, Togo, Burundi, Tanzania, Brussels and Paris, seeking international backing for implementation.

The report also frames the issue within wider U.S. interest in stabilizing eastern Congo, partly because of the region’s strategic minerals. Fides says Washington is expected to press Rwanda and notes the appointment of a new U.S. ambassador to Kigali with a background in intelligence and conflict zones.