This is as Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and the DRC’s Félix Tshisekedi, prepare to sign a long-awaited peace agreement at the White House.
The deal, facilitated by the United States (US) and Qatar after more than eight months of negotiations, aims to end the escalating conflict in North Kivu.
However, according to Amnesty International, the situation on the ground remains dire, with communities trapped between two abusive forces: the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement (M23) and the Wazalendo militias aligned with the Congolese army.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said diplomatic progress has yet to translate into meaningful change for civilians.
“Months of discussions and the signing of multiple agreements in Washington and Doha have had no tangible impact on the lives of Congolese civilians. Thousands of civilians are caught between two brutal forces. On one side, they face summary killings, torture, gang rape and abductions by the Rwandan-backed M23. On the other hand, they are killed, ill-treated, abducted and raped by members of the Wazalendo,” Chagutah said.
Amnesty reported credible accounts of revenge killings by M23 against civilians suspected of supporting the Wazalendo, as well as abuses committed by Wazalendo fighters themselves. Tens of thousands of people were displaced in October alone, and many residents in parts of North Kivu have fled into forests to escape fighting.
Chagutah urged the US to press both Congolese and Rwandan authorities, as well as M23, to halt violations and commit fully to the terms of the agreement. He also criticised international diplomats for failing to apply consistent pressure on both Governments to stop backing armed groups.
“It is appalling that international diplomats, including those from the US, European Union and African Union, are shirking their moral and international obligations by not applying direct and consistent pressure on Rwandan and DRC leaders to stop supporting abusive armed groups,” he said.
“Until diplomats impose consequences on the backers of M23 and the Wazalendo, Congolese civilians will continue to suffer.”
The peace pact forms part of a broader series of agreements. In June, Rwandan and Congolese officials signed a preliminary accord in Washington allowing Rwanda to maintain what it calls “defensive measures” in eastern Congo until the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) are neutralised.
The FDLR, made up largely of Rwandan Hutu fighters, includes remnants of groups responsible for the 1994 genocide as well as younger combatants with no link to those atrocities.
Rwanda and M23 further signed a framework agreement in Qatar in November, outlining eight protocols that still require detailed negotiation.
–ChannelAfrica–
