DRC, Rwanda agree to implement security measures

The DRC and Rwanda have agreed to start implementing security measures under a US-mediated deal next month, the countries said in a joint statement, in what would be a key step toward carrying out the peace agreement amid concerns over lack of progress, reports Polity. The agreement, reached in a meeting in Washington on 17-18 September and first reported by Reuters, would be implemented from 1 October, according to the statement, which was also issued by the US, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission. The countries agreed to complete the measures by the end of the year, three sources told Reuters. Operations to eliminate the threat from Congo-based armed group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and facilitate the withdrawal of Rwandan troops will begin between 21 and 31 October, according to the sources. The timeline offers specific dates for Rwanda and Congo to carry out the peace plan amid concerns it has faced headwinds. Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR, a Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the 1994 genocide, are meant to conclude over the same timeframe. The members of the joint security co-ordination mechanism also exchanged intelligence to establish an understanding of the situation on the ground, which was then used to develop a phased approach for the neutralisation of the FDLR as well as the disengagement of forces and lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa are working to persuade Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi to drop treason charges against his predecessor Joseph Kabila. They said prosecuting Kabila could set a bad precedent in the region, months after the end of another tiff between former Presidents Ian Khama and Mokgweetsi Masisi, in Botswana. The Mail & Guardian reports that Masisi, who stepped down after an electoral loss in October, had pushed Khama into exile for years, forcing him to spend time between SA, eSwatini and the UK. Since fleeing the DRC in 2023, Kabila has been shuttling between Zimbabwe and SA, where he was doing postgraduate studies. He returned to his country in June, setting up base in the M23-controlled North Kivu capital, Goma. He faces charges including treason, complicity with the armed group M23, crimes against humanity and massive corruption during his 18-year Presidency. Two weeks ago, at the request of Ramaphosa, Tshisekedi flew into Johannesburg for a short visit , which the Presidency said was part of SA’s ‘constructive role in promoting peace and stability in the DRC’. It is understood that, during their two-hour, closed-door meeting, they contacted Mnangagwa by phone to discuss the Kabila situation.