DRC rebel leader Lubanga declares ceasefire after meeting Museveni

What the report says

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, who leads the Convention for the Popular Revolution (CRP), has said his movement will observe a ceasefire after meeting Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Entebbe. According to The Observer, Lubanga issued the announcement in a statement on Saturday, a day after talks that also involved Congolese government and military figures working on peace efforts in the conflict-affected northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The meeting on Friday brought together CRP representatives and senior officials from the DRC, including military and provincial authorities from North Kivu and Ituri, the areas most directly affected by the unrest. Ugandan diplomatic officials were also present. The Observer reported that Museveni had not yet released an official account of the talks, though a group photo of the participants was published by State House Entebbe.

Lubanga said the ceasefire took effect immediately and instructed his movement’s defence structures to oversee implementation. He also said the Entebbe discussions agreed to resume a pre-dialogue process that had started earlier, with both sides urged to avoid armed clashes while trust is built ahead of broader talks.

The report places the announcement against a wider backdrop of insecurity in eastern DRC, where multiple armed groups remain active and previous peace efforts have struggled to hold. It also notes Lubanga’s history as a former warlord and ICC-convicted figure, as well as the CRP’s recent emergence in Ituri in 2025. That background, reported by The Observer, underscores why the ceasefire could matter if it leads to sustained negotiations and reduced violence for civilians in the region.