The Washington and Doha accords, along with the Montreux commitments, initially raised high hopes. However, a new report from the United Nations Group of Experts brings them back to earth, describing only ‘limited results’.
The withdrawals by the Rwanda Defence Force and the AFC/M23 amounted to nothing more than ‘tactical repositioning’ of 15 to 20 kilometres. Meanwhile, Rwandan reinforcements, including air defence systems, kept arriving until April 2026. No significant pullback was observed in the weeks that followed.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not absolved of responsibility for this failure. The report notes that Kinshasa failed to honour its commitment to neutralise the FDLR, which continued to fight alongside the FARDC.
The experts also highlight internal tensions within the AFC/M23. While Corneille Nangaa and Joseph Kabila harboured ambitions of taking power in Kinshasa, most M23 military leaders opposed any operations beyond North Kivu and South Kivu. This divide between political aspirations and military realities undermines the movement’s coherence.
