DRC Government Accused of Maintaining Ties with FDLR Despite Promises to Dismantle It

Kinshasa, December 13, 2025 - Kinshasa, DRC - Despite statements since October 10, 2025 claiming that the FDLR would be dismantled, evidence suggests the DRC government continues to support the group, raising concerns about ongoing regional insecurity.

The FDLR, accused of participating in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, was formed in 2000 by remnants of the Ex-FAR army, Interahamwe, politicians, and Rwandan refugees remaining in the DRC. Since May 2022, the FDLR has been directly involved in operations against M23, in coalition with the DRC army and groups such as Wazalendo.

The Rwandan government has repeatedly warned the international community that the FDLR receives support from the DRC government, including equipment, military training, and food, enabling the group to strengthen its operations.

On June 27, 2025, Rwanda and the DRC, with U.S. assistance, signed a peace agreement, which included the destruction of the FDLR, while Rwanda agreed to lift certain security measures. The DRC military statement of October 10 called on FDLR fighters to disarm and instructed Congolese military and civilians to stop collaborating with the group, in line with the Washington agreement.

However, a UN experts’ report released on December 8, 2025, revealed that the announcement strained relations between the DRC army and FDLR fighters, angering allied Wazalendo groups. The report stated that some DRC army officers and government representatives assured the FDLR that cooperation would continue due to the group’s significant role in ongoing operations, noting that the FARDC lacks the capacity to dismantle it.

Reliable sources indicate that on November 29, 2025, the DRC army delivered ammunition and food to the FDLR and allied groups, including NDC-R and Nyatura, in areas such as Bibwe and Hembe, following orders from Colonel Salomon Tokolonga, commander of the 3402nd Regiment of the DRC Army.

Col. Tokolonga, already on the U.S. sanctions list, has a history of supporting the FDLR and other armed groups responsible for atrocities against civilians.

The period from December 1 to 14, 2025, was marked by a striking paradox between major diplomatic progress and a rapid, violent escalation of regional conflict.

The central diplomatic development was the signing of the DRC-Rwanda Peace and Economic Cooperation Agreement in Washington, D.C., on December 4, 2025. The accord established a broad framework for regional stability, committing both parties to the dismantling of armed groups, notably the FDLR, and to joint economic initiatives such as the Rusizi III hydroelectric project.

Yet this newly established framework was immediately tested-and weakened-by a sharp resurgence of fighting in North and South Kivu, including the capture of strategic areas by the AFC/M23 coalition. The escalation triggered mutual accusations of ceasefire violations, undermining both the Washington agreement and the earlier Qatar-mediated truce. Kigali accused Burundi of deploying more than 20,000 troops and contributing to instability in South Kivu, while the renewed violence drove over 750 Congolese refugees into Rwanda. At the same time, reports alleging continued coordination between certain FARDC elements and the FDLR stood in direct contradiction to the commitments undertaken in Washington.

Ultimately, while a critical legal and political foundation for regional cooperation has been laid, the swift return to hostilities, persistent non-compliance, and continued proxy dynamics highlight how fragile the peace process remains. Lasting stability in the Great Lakes region will depend not on signed agreements alone, but on verifiable actions, sustained political will, and strict adherence to commitments by all parties involved.