DR Congo, Rwanda return to Geneva for peace talks

Officials from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are meeting in Geneva on September 16-17 for the seventh session of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM), as the two countries seek to advance implementation of their US-backed peace agreement.

The talks bring together representatives of Rwanda and the DRC, with the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union Commission supporting the process.

The JSCM was established to coordinate and monitor the implementation of security commitments agreed by the two countries.

Details of the agenda have not been publicly disclosed.

However, the meeting comes after the sixth JSCM session in Geneva on August 12-13, when Rwanda and the DRC agreed to advance two initiatives aimed at strengthening monitoring and verification of the Washington Accords on the ground.

The two countries asked Washington to consider the initiatives and provide feedback at the next JSCM meeting.

The August session also saw the DRC present a disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) plan for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Participants subsequently consulted MONUSCO on its experience implementing DDR programs in the region.

The Washington Accords, signed in December 2025, reaffirm commitments under the June 2025 peace agreement, including the neutralization of the FDLR and Rwanda's lifting of defensive measures linked to the threat posed by the armed group.

Implementation of those commitments remains difficult, with fighting continuing in eastern DRC and disagreements persisting over security arrangements.

The parties have also agreed to hold a trilateral planning conference in October, which is expected to produce a revised operations order to guide coordinated implementation of the security commitments.

The Geneva meeting comes as the peace process faces continued pressure from violence in eastern DRC, making progress on security commitments a central issue for the talks. (With input from wires)