UN envoy tells Security Council that fighting in eastern Congo continues despite peace agreements

Huang Xia, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, told the Security Council today that peace diplomacy in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has not stopped the violence. He was presenting his biannual report on the 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the country and the region. According to the Council's meetings coverage, he said: “Despite sustained diplomatic effort, the security and humanitarian situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has continued to worsen”.

The envoy cited “encouraging” progress on two parallel tracks. One is the Washington peace agreement, signed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda on 27 June 2025. The other is the Doha process, facilitated by Qatar, between the Congolese Government and the rebel group AFC/M23. Congolese authorities and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) have signed a protocol and road map. Even so, he said, a genuine ceasefire remains difficult to achieve despite the Council's unanimous calls, including in resolution 2773 (2025). He also warned of armed drones, the spread of Ebola, and distrust between Kigali and Kinshasa and between Kinshasa and Burundi.

UN News, reporting on the same briefing, said the report finds the M23's withdrawals from some positions limited and more tactical than genuine. It also said Kigali disputes whether the FDLR protocol conforms to the Washington agreements. UN News added that the AFC/M23, which it said the UN believes is backed by the Rwandan army, has extended and consolidated its hold on territory.

UN News gave these figures from the report. The Allied Democratic Forces were involved in 211 incidents that caused 468 civilian victims in the period reviewed. The FDLR were held responsible for 94 incidents and the deaths of 40 civilians. The UN recorded 2 186 human rights violations and abuses attributed to armed groups, which it put at 70 % of the total documented. Another 891 violations were attributed to state actors, including Congolese security forces. UN News said the country had more than 6 million displaced people at the end of June, and more than 26 million people faced acute food insecurity. It said authorities had reported 7 672 confirmed Ebola cases and 3 699 deaths.

The representative of the United States called the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity “a historic opportunity”. He urged Kinshasa and Kigali to fulfil their obligations without delay, to uphold the ceasefire and to halt drone strikes. He said “any current cooperation between the FDLR and elements of the Congolese armed forces must cease immediately”.

Bahrain's representative warned of “a troubling gap” between diplomatic progress and realities on the ground. France's delegate recalled sanctions imposed in July and urged the Council to “bridge the gap between commitments made by the parties and the reality of the situation on the ground”. The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking also for Liberia and Somalia, asked for enough resources for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), a UN mission, to support a joint verification mechanism. Burundi's delegate said: “The security of one State cannot be sustainably ensured at the expense of that of its neighbours; regional security is founded on collective security”.

The sources report no vote or decision by the Council at this meeting. The items supplied contain no statement from Rwanda or from the AFC/M23, and the Council's meetings coverage does not say how Rwanda responded to the criticism raised.