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9h ago

Congo and Rwanda Set Oct. 1 Start for U.S.-Brokered Security Plan

A U.S.-led mechanism translated the June accord into a phased plan to neutralize the FDLR, enabling Rwandan drawdowns.

Kahindo, an internally displaced woman, who said they could not return home because it was destroyed during the fighting, gathers volcanic gravel to sell at an IDP's camp which was emptied after the M23 rebels ordered many displaced people to leave the camps in Mugunga district, near Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, March 22, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

Overview

  • A joint statement says implementation of the Operational Order begins October 1 under a phased Concept of Operations to neutralize the FDLR and lift Rwanda’s defensive measures.
  • Sources told Reuters that operations to counter the FDLR and facilitate Rwandan troop withdrawal are expected between October 21 and 31, with completion targeted by year-end.
  • The Joint Security Coordination Mechanism met in Washington on September 17–18, reviewed the security posture in eastern DRC, and built a shared intelligence picture to guide execution.
  • Negotiators clashed over Rwanda’s ties to M23 and over who bears responsibility for neutralizing the FDLR, as UN experts have reported Kigali exercises command and control over M23.
  • Congo continues separate Doha talks with M23 after missing an August 18 deadline, and President Félix Tshisekedi told the UN that Rwandan withdrawal and an end to support for M23 are non-negotiable.