Members of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the Great Lakes region, including the United States, Belgium, and France, have called on the Democratic Republic of Congo to urgently establish a concrete plan and timeline for dismantling the FDLR, following the Congolese government’s signing of a disarmament agreement with the group.
The joint statement was issued by the ICG’s full membership: the United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, chaired by France.
The ICG said it welcomed the DRC government’s July 28 announcement that the FDLR had agreed to sign a protocol on disarmament, demobilization, and cantonment of its fighters.
“The ICG urges the Congolese authorities to promptly develop an operational plan and a realistic timeline to implement an effective FDLR neutralization in line with obligations signed in the Washington Agreements and the Disengagement of Forces/Lifting of Defensive Measures of Rwanda (CONOPS) of October 31, 2024, and the Washington agreement of June 27, 2025.”
The group stressed that implementation rests heavily on the Congolese government, urging it to clarify how it will combat impunity as outlined in the protocol, and to work with MONUSCO as a key implementation partner. The ICG also warned that any continued collaboration between Congolese authorities and FDLR elements would directly contradict the commitments made under the Washington Accords.
At the same time, the group said it stood ready to welcome any concrete steps taken by either the DRC or Rwanda under the peace process, and called on all parties to the Washington Accords and Doha Framework, along with mediators including the African Union, to keep pushing forward on their commitments.
The ICG also pointed to the prisoner exchange between the DRC government and the AFC/M23 alliance as a significant confidence-building step, welcoming the recent ICRC-facilitated transfer of individuals released by Congolese authorities to AFC/M23 as “a step in the right direction.”
The group closed by urging all parties to uphold international humanitarian law and ensure safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to reach those in need.
RADIOTV10