By Senior Editor, China Africa News
Kigali, Jan. 24, 2026 — Rwanda has publicly acknowledged for the first time that it engaged in security coordination with the M23 rebel movement in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), describing the cooperation as a defensive measure rather than a political alliance. In a written statement submitted to a U.S. Congressional subcommittee on January 22, 2026, Rwanda’s Ambassador to the United States, Mathilde Mukantabana, said the government’s actions were aimed at protecting security interests and preventing renewed violence with cross-border implications.
In the statement, Mukantabana explained that Kigali’s security coordination with the Alliance of Congolese Forces/M23 (AFC/M23) was intended to build trust and address shared concerns about armed groups operating in eastern DRC, notably the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). She framed the move as a response to persistent instability that has killed and displaced thousands of civilians in the region, and rooted it in Rwanda’s historical experience of insurgencies that followed the 1994 genocide.
Rwanda’s disclosure comes amid a fragile peace process under the U.S.-brokered Washington Accords, which both Kigali and Kinshasa endorsed in late 2025 with the aim of ending years of conflict in the Great Lakes region. The accords set out benchmarks for security cooperation, including disarmament of militia groups and neutralization of threats such as the FDLR, and Rwanda said its coordination with M23 would be scaled back in line with progress on those benchmarks.
Mukantabana also noted that the coordination had coincided with a unilateral withdrawal by M23 from the strategic eastern city of Uvira, a move both sides have described as a gesture toward reducing tensions. The rebels’ pullback, which observers say followed intensified diplomatic pressure, allowed Congolese forces to re-enter the town in recent days as part of broader efforts to stabilize the area.
While Kigali stressed that it does not seek to influence the internal political decisions of the DRC, the admission marks a shift from previous denials of any formal interaction with the rebel group. International actors, including the United Nations Security Council, have previously called on Rwanda to end all support for M23 and respect Congolese sovereignty concerns that remain central to diplomatic discussions even as both countries pursue peace.
The broader conflict in eastern DRC has left millions displaced and drawn in multiple armed factions, with Uvira’s recent change of hands underscoring the fragile nature of security on the ground. Rwanda’s statement reasserts its commitment to regional peace while making clear that its security posture will adapt as threats diminish and agreed benchmarks are met, placing the spotlight on how the Washington Accords are implemented in the coming months.
