Regional diplomatic tensions have sharpened after Rwanda dismissed the latest resolutions by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), arguing that the Kinshasa-led summit holds no relevance to ongoing efforts to resolve the prolonged conflict in eastern DRC.
The dispute has added fresh uncertainty to a region already struggling with overlapping security crises and competing peace initiatives.
The ICGLR summit, convened in Kinshasa on 15 November without Rwanda’s participation, saw regional heads of state elect President Félix Tshisekedi as the new chair of the organization and issue a condemnation of the M23 rebellion.
Delegates also called on what they termed “the aggressor country” to withdraw its forces from Congolese territory, a reference widely interpreted to be directed at Rwanda. Kigali swiftly rejected both the process and the outcome.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, questioned the legitimacy and effectiveness of the summit, arguing that it played no constructive role in addressing the crisis.
“The resolutions of the ICGLR meeting held last week in Kinshasa, in Rwanda’s absence, where Tshisekedi was elected as the new chair of the organization headquartered in Bujumbura, are of no value regarding issues related to the conflict in eastern DRC,” he said.
Nduhungirehe reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to two ongoing diplomatic tracks: the U.S.-facilitated talks between Rwanda and the DRC, and the Doha negotiations between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 coalition.
He said these discussions, both supported by the African Union, represent the only credible avenues toward long-term stability. “For that reason, only the Washington and Doha peace processes, supported by the African Union, are genuinely seeking sustainable solutions to the conflict in eastern DRC,” he noted.
His comments landed amid mounting friction within the Doha process itself. The AFC/M23 movement recently pushed back against Burundi’s request to join the negotiations, arguing that expanding participation would derail progress.
The group accused Burundi of seeking to exploit the conflict while deploying several battalions in South Kivu, where humanitarian conditions for the Banyamulenge population have sharply deteriorated.
In a statement released on 16 November, the rebels warned that inviting additional actors into the talks would make peace “impossible,” declaring, “There are only two main parties. Everything else is just interference, parasites, and political mercenaries.”
The overlapping criticisms reflect a widening divide over who should shape the direction of Congo’s peace efforts. The latest developments come as delicate progress continues in the parallel diplomatic tracks.
While Kinshasa maintains that the ICGLR remains a legitimate platform for regional decisions, other parties argue that the summit’s resolutions neither reflect the realities of the conflict nor address the drivers of violence in the east.
On 7 November, Rwanda and the DRC signed a draft economic cooperation agreement, and on 15 November the DRC government and AFC/M23 endorsed foundational principles expected to guide the next phase of Doha discussions.
Yet with competing interests and rising mistrust among regional players, the risk of fragmentation threatens to overshadow the fragile momentum achieved so far.
