Congo, Rwanda spar over protocol to disarm Rwandan rebels

Congo said on Tuesday that a Rwandan armed group operating in eastern Congo had signed a protocol committing to disarmament, but Rwanda ​rejected the move as inconsistent with a U.S.-brokered peace agreement ‌between the two countries.

Congo's government said the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group founded by ethnic Hutu fighters including some linked to the perpetrators of ​the 1994 Rwandan genocide, had signed a protocol on disarmament, ​demobilisation and cantonment.

The FDLR is a central issue in a peace ⁠deal signed by Congo and Rwanda in Washington last year aimed at ​ending the conflict in eastern Congo. The agreement commits the parties to ​implement a plan providing for the neutralisation of the FDLR and the disengagement of Rwandan forces in eastern Congo, making progress on the group a key test of ​the deal.

Rwanda has long accused Congo of cooperating with the group, while ​Kinshasa accuses Kigali of backing AFC/M23 rebels. Fighting has continued despite the peace deal.

A ‌copy ⁠of the protocol obtained by Reuters shows the FDLR agreeing in principle to disarm, demobilise and move into cantonment sites under a planned process, subject to security guarantees and protection from forced extradition to Rwanda.

The protocol ​does not specify how ​many fighters ⁠are covered, where cantonment sites would be located, when disarmament would begin, or whether any fighters have already surrendered ​weapons.

Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the protocol was ​in ⁠line with the Washington agreement and represented progress toward implementing Congo's obligations.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe called the protocol a delaying tactic, saying the peace ⁠deal required ​the FDLR's neutralisation rather than negotiations with ​the group.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.