Kinshasa Warns: FDLR Threatens Entire DRC, MP Okitundu Calls for Immediate Action

Kinshasa, December 5, 2025 - MP Léonard She Okitundu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2016-2019) and current Vice President of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the National Assembly, has urged the DRC government to take decisive action against the FDLR terrorist group, which he says has effectively taken over the country.

In an interview with RFI, Okitundu emphasized that the United Nations Security Council had called in February 2025 for the cessation of support to the FDLR and their dismantling, a directive he believes the DRC government must urgently enforce.

“The FDLR is taking the entire DRC hostage,” Okitundu stated. “Strong measures must be taken against this group. It is not optional, nor should the government appear to tolerate their presence.”

Responding to remarks from FDLR military spokesman Lt Col Octavien Mutimura, who declared that the group has no intention of disarming, Okitundu warned that such statements complicate the DRC government’s position and must not be ignored. He suggested that expelling all armed group members, including FDLR fighters, should be a priority.

Okitundu dismissed claims that obstacles prevent action against the FDLR. “There are no major obstacles. The government must act decisively and avoid any appearance of collaboration with the group,” he said.

The call for action comes shortly after the Rwanda-DRC Peace and Economic Cooperation Agreement was signed on December 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C., by President Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi. The agreement includes provisions for the destruction of the FDLR, removal of security measures, and cooperation in trade, mining, and economic development activities.