In a statement, Makolo said the agreement contains clear commitments on Rwanda\u2019s security, particularly the need to dismantle the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group composed of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She maintained that the Congolese government continues to support the group and that commitments under the agreement have yet to be implemented, with those responsible still not held accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Washington Accords include clear commitments regarding Rwanda\u2019s security, particularly the need to address the FDLR, a group composed of perpetrators of the genocide, which is supported by the Government of the DRC. These commitments have not been implemented, and those responsible have not been held accountable,\u201d Makolo said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRwanda is ready to implement the Washington Accords, provided that the Government of the DRC demonstrates a willingness to fulfil its obligations, and that there is a mechanism to ensure all parties are held accountable for the commitments they have made,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Washington Accords were signed on December 4, 2025, by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart, F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi, in the presence of United States President Donald Trump. The agreement seeks to address longstanding tensions between the two countries, particularly the security situation in eastern DRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the agreement, the DRC committed to neutralising the FDLR, while Rwanda undertook to lift its defensive measures against the armed group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rwanda has repeatedly maintained that its defensive measures along the border with the DRC will remain in place until the FDLR militia group is dismantled, as committed to under the Washington Accords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FDLR was formed by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to what is now eastern DRC after the genocide. Rwanda has repeatedly accused the Congolese government of supporting the group, which Kigali considers a threat to its national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A United Nations report published on September 21, 2026, indicated that the FDLR continued to operate in eastern DRC. The report documented allegations of killings and enforced disappearances of civilians, mainly in Rutshuru territory, as well as in Masisi, Nyiragongo and Walikale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rwanda has previously called on the United States to ensure impartiality in its mediation efforts, arguing that sanctions targeting one party are counterproductive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rwanda is ready to implement the Washington Accords if the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) demonstrates a willingness to fulfil its obligations, Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo stressed on Thursday, October 29, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000130793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"archived_slugs":[],"footnotes":"","igh_game_id":0},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,70],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000130792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-main-home-ighlight","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131,"twitter_handle":""}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131,"twitter_handle":""}],"featured_image":{"id":2000130793,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/yolande_m-2-71c82-1.jpg","alt":"Rwanda ready to implement Washington Accords if DRC honours its obligations - Makolo","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":667,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/yolande_m-2-71c82-1-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/yolande_m-2-71c82-1-300x200.jpg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/yolande_m-2-71c82-1-768x512.jpg","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/yolande_m-2-71c82-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/10\/yolande_m-2-71c82-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":667}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000130792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000130792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000130792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000130794,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000130792\/revisions\/2000130794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000130793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000130792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000130792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000130792"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000130792"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000130792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}