Tibor Nagy urges focus on FDLR dismantling as key to resolving eastern DRC conflict

Washington, April 4, 2026 - Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy has said that dismantling the FDLR armed group in the Democratic Republic of Congo is essential to ending long-standing insecurity in the country’s east. In comments following a recent interview with Rwandan President Paul Kagame published in Jeune Afrique, Nagy argued that international actors should apply consistent expectations on all armed groups operating in the region. He stated that if pressure is placed on Rwanda regarding its alleged links to armed actors, similar scrutiny should be applied to the DRC concerning groups it is accused of tolerating or failing to dismantle. Nagy has previously questioned the Congolese government’s commitment to eliminating the FDLR, a group widely described by regional and international stakeholders as a destabilizing armed force in the Great Lakes region. In the referenced interview, President Kagame reiterated Rwanda’s security concerns along its border and defended what he described as defensive measures aimed at preventing cross-border threats. He also argued that regional security dynamics require broader attention to multiple armed actors rather than focusing on a single party. The remarks come amid continued diplomatic debate over security arrangements, armed group activity, and peace implementation efforts in eastern DRC.