Kinshasa: Fierce fighting erupted across eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) barely hours after leaders from the DRC and Rwanda reaffirmed a high-profile peace deal in Washington, putting a glaring spotlight on the fragile nature of the accord.
The signing ceremony, hosted by Donald J. Trump, had brought together the DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame reaffirming a June agreement intended to stabilize the volatile eastern region and open the door to Western investment in its mineral-rich territories.
But within 24 hours, reports confirmed that the conflict far from ending had intensified. The rebel group AFC/M23, which is not a signatory to the Washington accord, accused government forces of unleashing attacks with jets, drones, and heavy artillery in densely populated zones. Meanwhile, the DRC’s army accused Rwandan forces of bombing residential areas, resulting in mass displacement and civilian casualties.
Images circulating on social media showed families some with livestock fleeing villages like Luvungi in South Kivu, reportedly carrying only what they could manage. Rebel spokespeople claimed entire homes were destroyed and that women and children had lost their lives. A senior M23 commander, speaking anonymously to the press, declared that his forces had retaken the town of Luberika and even shot down a government drone, insisting that the Washington ceremony had no bearing on the conflict unfolding on the ground.
For many in the region especially among the displaced the peace agreement now seems distant from reality. Analysts argue that while the diplomatic summit offered a fleeting hope, it failed to tackle the underlying grievances fueling the war: unresolved territorial disputes, presence of external armed groups, and deep-seated mistrust.
As Eastern Congo once again plunges into violence, the gap between international diplomacy and on-the-ground reality has become painfully clear leaving civilians caught in an unending cycle of displacement, fear, and instability.