Speaking before the U.S. Congressional Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) on Thursday, Rwanda's Ambassador to the U.S., Mathilde Mukantabana, underlined that Rwanda's defensive measures are conditional, time-bound, and directly linked to the verified neutralisation of the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR).
'The defensive measures we have put in place will adjust only as the level of threat reduces,' Ambassador Mukantabana said in her statement. 'Rwanda commits to a phased, simultaneous, and independently verified drawdown of its security coordination measures in direct proportion to FDLR disarmament milestones.'
The ambassador's testimony highlighted the persistent threat posed by the FDLR, a militia formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The group has operated across eastern DRC for more than three decades, carrying out atrocities against civilians and maintaining ties with the Congolese military.
The hearing focused on the implementation of the Washington Accords, signed on December 4, 2025. The agreement, brokered with U.S. leadership alongside Qatar's mediation, aims to establish lasting peace, security, and economic integration between Rwanda and the DRC.
State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Sarah Troutman, representing the Trump administration, underscored U.S. monitoring of the agreement. She highlighted the potential for sanctions in case of violations and stressed the importance of neutralising the FDLR threat.
FDLR militia is 'a legitimate threat' to Rwanda and 'they cannot be allowed to operate in eastern DRC', said Troutman.
Ambassador Mukantabana provided historical context, recalling the Abacengezi insurgency of the late 1990s, a cross-border genocidal campaign launched by ex-Rwandan armed forces and Interahamwe militia that sought to destabilise Rwanda after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. She emphasised that the lessons of the past underpin Rwanda's insistence on maintaining defensive measures until credible security assurances are established.
"The memories of genocide survivors, the graves of one million victims, and the documented history of the Abacengezi insurgency, which killed thousands more in the years following 1994, compel us to maintain defensive capabilities until credible security assurances are established, until the threat is gone, once and for all," Mukantabana said.
The ambassador concluded by reaffirming Rwanda's readiness to work with the DRC, the United States, the African Union, and other international partners to ensure that the Washington Accords translate into permanent peace and shared prosperity.
Beyond security, the Washington Accords also set a framework for regional economic transformation through the Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF). Rwanda aims to expand cross-border trade, develop infrastructure, and create jobs, linking peace and prosperity to verified security measures.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
