In eastern DR Congo's Uvira, war scars linger as calm cautiously returns. Members of the March 23 Movement (M23) stand guard in Uvira city, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on December 12, 2025. Photo by Str /Xinhua/ABC/Andia.fr
The Washington-mediated peace pact between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda faces mounting obstacles. In North and South Kivu, renewed clashes over strategic territories have intensified, rendering sanctions ineffective and exposing the limits of U.S. diplomacy.
The July 15 deadline set in the June 27, 2025 Washington agreement has come and gone. The pact, negotiated under U.S. auspices, mandated the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern DRC, where they back the Congolese politico-military faction Alliance du fleuve Congo/M23 (AFC/M23). This group still controls most of the North and South Kivu provinces.
The agreement included additional terms, but mid-July implementation—anticipated by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio—has yet to materialize. Worse, fighting has escalated across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
