The commitment was reiterated during a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at Urugwiro Village.
According to a communiqué issued by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet was briefed on the signing of the Washington Accords on December 4, 2025, and reaffirmed Rwanda's support for continued engagement in United States-facilitated mediation, as well as the Doha peace process, guided by a balanced approach that takes into account the security concerns of all parties.
The Washington Accords, brokered by the United States, marked a historic step toward ending decades of conflict between Rwanda and the DRC. The agreement formalised commitments reached earlier in June, including a permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state armed groups, the return of refugees, and accountability for perpetrators of atrocities.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, US President Donald Trump said the accord aimed to foster lasting peace, regional cooperation, and economic integration, including the potential for increased US investment in the two countries' mineral sectors.
However, the agreement faced early challenges following renewed violence in eastern DRC, where fighting intensified as Congolese forces sought to reclaim territories lost to the AFC/M23 rebellion. Amid the renewed hostilities, the rebels captured the strategic town of Uvira last week before later announcing that they would withdraw at the request of US mediators.
Rwanda has repeatedly rejected attempts to link it to the renewed fighting. On December 10, 2025, Rwanda issued a strong condemnation of what it described as violations of the Washington Accords ceasefire by the Congolese Army (FARDC) and the Burundian Army (FDNB).
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kigali said responsibility for the ongoing violence in South Kivu could not be placed on Rwanda.
The statement accused FARDC and FDNB, operating in coalition with the DRC-backed FDLR genocidal militia, Wazalendo groups, and foreign mercenaries, of systematically bombing civilian villages near the Rwandan border, actions which the AFC/M23 says it has been forced to counter.
'These deliberate violations of recently negotiated agreements constitute serious obstacles to peace, resulting in the continued suffering of the population in Eastern DRC, as well as a security threat to Rwanda's western border,' the statement said.
Rwanda also highlighted the humanitarian consequences of the violence, pointing to the bombing of Kamanyola from Burundi, which has displaced more than 1,000 Congolese civilians. The displaced have crossed into Rwanda and are currently being hosted at the Nyarushishi Transit Camp in Bugarama, in Southern Province.
The Burundian Army, which is reported to have deployed close to 20,000 troops in South Kivu, was further accused of laying siege to Banyamulenge villages in Minembwe, cutting off supplies in what Kigali described as a deliberate attempt to starve the population and worsen the humanitarian crisis.
The Foreign Affairs statement also questioned Kinshasa's commitment to the peace process, citing public declarations by DRC authorities that they intend to disregard the ceasefire and pursue military operations to retake territory, even as negotiations were ongoing.
Rwanda said the DRC's failure to neutralise the FDLR, as stipulated in the June 2025 peace agreement, continues to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC, the central objective of the Washington Accords.
IGIHE
