The Congolese military has ordered Rwandan FDLR rebels in eastern Congo to surrender and disarm, as the country seeks to end years of bloodshed. In a statement late Friday, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) instructed the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) to hand themselves over to authorities or to the UN mission, MONUSCO, before repatriation to Rwanda.
Maj. Gen. Ekenge Efomi Sylvain, the army spokesman, urged the rebels to surrender peacefully, warning that resistance would be met with force. “The FARDC calls on all FDLR factions to lay down their arms,” the statement said, appealing for an end to violence and urging citizens linked to the group to distance themselves.
The directive followed a US-brokered peace deal signed in June between Congo and Rwanda, which seeks to disarm armed factions, including the FDLR, while gradually lifting Rwanda’s defensive measures. Under the agreement, both nations pledged to neutralize rebel groups threatening regional stability and restore calm to eastern provinces scarred by decades of conflict.
FARDC warned that failure to comply would trigger coercive disarmament operations, emphasizing that collaboration between Congolese soldiers and FDLR fighters would face severe punishment. Rwanda accuses Congo’s army of aiding the FDLR against the M23 rebels, while Kinshasa claims Rwanda backs M23 — allegations both sides deny.
Kigali considers the FDLR a terrorist organisation linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and insists on its unconditional dismantling to safeguard national security. The announcement came a day after President Felix Tshisekedi declared in Brussels that he “wants true peace,” urging Rwandan leader Paul Kagame to help halt the escalating violence in eastern Congo.