Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda agreed to start implementing security measures under a US-mediated deal next month, the countries said in a joint statement on Wednesday, in what would be a key step toward carrying out the peace agreement amid concerns over lack of progress.
The agreement, reached in a meeting in Washington on September 17-18 and first reported by Reuters, would see implementation begin on October 1, according to the joint statement, which was also issued by the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission.
The countries agreed to complete the measures by the end of the year, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Operations to eliminate the threat from Congo-based armed group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and facilitate the withdrawal of Rwandan troops will begin between October 21 and 31, according to the sources.
The timeline offers specific dates for Rwanda and Congo to carry out the peace plan amid concerns it has faced headwinds.
The Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers signed a peace deal in Washington on June 27 and met that same day with US President Donald Trump, who is keen to draw billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.
The deal included a pledge to implement a 2024 agreement that said Rwanda would lift defensive measures within 90 days.
Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR, a Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 genocide, are meant to conclude over the same timeframe.
The initial 2024 agreement's 90-day deadline falls on Thursday. One of the sources said the clock did not start ticking when the agreement was signed, but rather was meant to start with the first meeting of a new joint security coordination mechanism on August 7-8.
At the September meeting in Washington, Congo and Rwanda negotiated an operational order to advance that 2024 agreement and agreed to begin implementation on October 1, according to the joint statement.
The members of the joint security coordination mechanism also exchanged intelligence to establish an understanding of the situation on the ground, which was then used to develop a phased approach for the neutralization of the FDLR as well as the disengagement of forces and lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda, according to the statement.
Internal meeting notes seen by Reuters highlight the long-standing disagreements that have complicated repeated efforts to bring peace to a region riven by conflict for three decades.
The September meeting at the US State Department was repeatedly bogged down in disputes over the nature of M23 and Rwanda's relationship to it, according to the internal report.
Rwanda has long denied backing the group and says its forces act in self-defence against groups including the FDLR. But a group of United Nations experts said in a report in July that Kigali exercised command and control over the rebels.
The two sides also disagreed on the number of FDLR combatants, according to the report from the September meeting. And while the Congolese delegation said neutralizing the FDLR required coordinated action, the Rwandan delegation said it was Kinshasa's responsibility.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly this week, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congo and the end of Rwandan support for M23 were "non-negotiable conditions for genuine peace."
Congo is also participating in direct peace talks with M23 hosted by Qatar, though the two sides missed an August 18 deadline to reach a peace agreement.
Congo and Rwanda also have yet to set a date for heads of state to travel to Washington amid lack of progress in Doha, one of the sources said.
A final negotiation session on the framework will take place next week, the source added.
