DR Congo, Rwanda agree to immediate ceasefire in renewed peace push

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have reached a new ceasefire agreement to immediately end hostilities.

Victor Olorunfemi • June 25, 2026

M23 REBELS

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have reached a new ceasefire agreement to immediately end hostilities, the committee for joint oversight of peace in the region has announced.

In a joint statement released by the United States, DR Congo, Rwanda, Togo, Qatar and the African Union Commission, the commitment to pause military action was secured at the sixth Joint Oversight Committee (JOC) meeting hosted in London on Wednesday.

The committee noted that DR Congo also agreed to neutralise the armed rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), while Rwanda said it was committed to the process of military disengagement.

“The DRC updated on its work to neutralise the FDLR, and Rwanda updated on the process of its disengagement of forces/lifting of defensive measures,” the statement said.

Citing the deepening humanitarian crisis and recent Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, the two warring countries have also pledged to fully implement the peace agreement signed in June 2025, which involved the use of drone strikes and de-escalation of tensions on the battlefield, especially in Minembwe.

Additionally, both countries renewed their commitments to the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), an enhanced ceasefire monitoring mechanism in the eastern DR Congo, and to implementing the next phase of the Washington Accord through the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM).

Furthermore, the committee revealed that DR Congo and Rwanda will support the conclusion of ongoing negotiations between the Congolese government and the Rwandan-backed armed rebel group AFC/M23 in Qatar, and will commit to refraining from using provocative language going forward.

The committee stated that the next meeting of the JSCM will take place within the next 15 days.

“The DRC and Rwanda expressed gratitude to the United States, Qatar, Togo, and the African Union Commission for their continued contributions to the peace process and thanked the United Kingdom for hosting this meeting in London,” the statement added.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.