Rwandan Defense Minister Marizamunda Attends ICGLR Special Security Meeting on Eastern

Kigali, January 11, 2026 - Livingstone, Zambia - 10 January 2026: Rwanda’s Minister of Defense, Juvenal Marizamunda, participated in a special meeting of the ICGLR (International Conference on the Great Lakes Region) Defense Ministers to discuss security challenges in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to a statement from the Rwandan Ministry of Defense, the meeting focused on ensuring security and facilitating humanitarian operations in the eastern DRC, a region long affected by armed conflict.

The ministerial meeting followed sessions held on 8 January 2026 by the ICGLR Security Expert Group and the Chiefs of Defense of ICGLR member states.

The eastern DRC has experienced decades of conflict, intensified over the past 32 years by former Ex-FAR members and Interahamwe militias, and more recently by clashes between government forces and the AFC/M23 coalition. The region is also threatened by over 260 armed groups, which continue to attack communities, kill civilians, and loot property.

The ICGLR ministers emphasized the need for regional cooperation to stabilize the area and protect civilians while supporting humanitarian operations.