DRC army launches disarmament push against Rwanda genocide-linked militia FDLR
DRC's army has announced the start of a disarmament push against a militia linked to Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, in what would be a key step towards implementing a US-brokered peace deal with Rwanda.
DR Congo’s army has announced the start of a disarmament push against a militia linked to Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, in what would be a key step towards implementing a US-brokered peace deal with neighbouring Rwanda.
The move to disarm the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) comes two weeks after Congolese and Rwandan officials met in Washington to agree steps to revive the agreement signed last June.
The FDLR is a DR Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias responsible for the 1994 genocide. Rwanda has long demanded that DR Congo neutralise the group as a condition for any lasting peace.
Lieutenant General Nduru Jacques Ychaligonza, deputy chief of staff of the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), told reporters on Sunday that he had been dispatched to the northeastern city of Kisangani to launch preparations for operations targeting FDLR.
'Must hand over their weapons'
“They must hand over their weapons, willingly or by force,” Ychaligonza said, adding that the first phase would focus on persuading the militia members to surrender. “We do not need bloodshed.”
He said a reception site had been set up in Kisangani to receive those who lay down their arms and that former members would eventually be sent to Rwanda.
Rwanda has long accused DR Congo of fighting alongside FDLR, while DR Congo has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group, which controls large swathes of territory in eastern DR Congo after a lightning advance last year. Rwanda denies supporting M23.
The army announcement came as M23 rebels pulled back from at least a dozen villages in Lubero territory in North Kivu province over recent days, the Kinshasa-appointed governor of the province said on Thursday.
Fighting persists despite peace deal
A spokesperson for the rebel group described the movements as routine troop rotation in a post on X on Saturday.
DR Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington last June, with DR Congo committing to dismantle the FDLR and Rwanda committing to disengage its forces, but fighting has continued on several fronts.