Rwanda-DRC: Nduhungirehe criticizes Muyaya’s disinformation

Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe has criticized Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government spokesman Patrick Muyaya for lying about the AFC/M23 withdrawing from areas under its control.

In an interview with Radio Top Congo journalist Christian Lusakueno, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya stated that the withdrawal of the M23 will be carried out in the same spirit as that which will guide the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM), provided for in the Washington Peace Agreement of June 27, 2025.

According to the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, this is blatant misinformation of the Congolese public, to which the DRC government spokesperson is unfortunately accustomed.

“I would like to remind you that the JSCM is an exclusively bilateral mechanism between the DRC and Rwanda, which is only responsible for the neutralization of the FDLR genocidaires and the lifting of Rwandan defense measures. The AFC/M23 is therefore not concerned by this bilateral mechanism, either in its letter or in its spirit,” he insisted.

The aim will be to address the root causes of the conflict and to find an effective resolution to the causes of the conflict.

And for good reason, he continued, unlike the issue that the JSCM will be in charge of, which is that of the neutralization of a cross-border threat and the lifting of defensive measures related to it, the issue of the AFC/M23 will, for its part, be resolved through dialogue.

Minister Ndungirehe added that the objective will be to address the root causes of the conflict and find an effective solution to the causes of the conflict. This, he said, will be the logical consequence of restoring state authority, which is clearly stipulated in the Doha Declaration of Principles.

This formal denial by Minister Nduhungirehe corroborates the statement of AFC/M23 Secretary General Benjamin Mbonimpa. He announced that the document did not contain an article stipulating that the AFC/M23 should withdraw from areas under its control, but that this issue would be discussed during the peace talks to be held in the coming days.

“The AFC/U23 will not give up a single meter. We will remain where we are, we will continue to control the areas we have while we discuss the root causes,” he said.

“We will stay where we are, we will continue to control the areas we have.” Benjamin Mbonimpa

However, he added, so far, the declaration of principles does not contain an article that addresses root causes. Much remains to be done, and it will take time to work on it.

He recalled that both parties are committed to implementing a permanent ceasefire, prohibiting any attacks or hate propaganda, with the establishment of a joint monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance with this commitment.

After the signing of the principles, the two parties will continue to prepare a peace agreement, which will also be used to implement the peace agreement signed between Rwanda and the DRC in Washington.