AFC/M23 Says It Is Not Bound by Washington Peace Accords

The AFC/M23 alliance has asserted that it is not bound by the Washington peace agreement signed between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2026. The statement was delivered by Bertrand Bisimwa, Deputy Director for Politics, Diplomacy and Governance of AFC/M23, in response to claims by US Senator Jeanne Shaheen that the group was violating the accords. Senator Shaheen, a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had stated: “After three months of Rwanda-backed M23 violating the Washington Peace Accords, the US has finally imposed sanctions on the RDF and four leaders.” Bisimwa countered, saying the alliance cannot breach an agreement it did not sign or observe, and urged the senator to familiarize herself with the realities of the conflict in eastern DRC. “How could M23 violate an agreement it did not sign and does not observe? The real problem lies in the way Washington understands this war,” Bisimwa said, emphasizing that the Washington agreement concerns the DRC and Rwanda, with the DRC tasked to dismantle the FDLR terrorist group and Rwanda required to adjust border security measures. He added that ongoing talks in Doha, Qatar, are aimed at resolving the conflict permanently, but claimed that the DRC government under President Félix Tshisekedi has sought to shift discussions to Washington, which he suggested misrepresents the nature of the conflict.