Rwanda’s Nduhungirehe Questions DRC’s Commitment to Angola-Proposed Ceasefire

KIGALI, February 12, 2026 - Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, expressed doubt over the Democratic Republic of Congo’s willingness to respect a new ceasefire proposed by João Lourenço. He cited the lack of political will demonstrated by Kinshasa since previous agreements. The Angolan government, acting on Lourenço’s authority as Chairperson of the African Union, requested that the ceasefire begin on February 18, 2026, while inter-Congolese peace talks are being prepared. Nduhungirehe recalled that in 2024, two ceasefires were declared, and in 2025, six peace or ceasefire agreements were signed, none of which the DRC government fully respected. He stated: “We can always negotiate peace agreements or ceasefires, but as long as Kinshasa does not stop airstrikes and heavy artillery, and President Tshisekedi insists on an impossible military solution, while the international community ignores these violations, it will be futile.” The ceasefire request followed a meeting on February 9, 2026, between President Félix Tshisekedi, AU-appointed mediator Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, and Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed by the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The mediators emphasized that an AU-led inter-Congolese dialogue remains the only way to address the root causes of DRC’s conflict.