Kinshasa, September 24th, 2025 (CPA).- On Tuesday, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo has called on the United Nations to ensure the strict implementation of the Washington peace agreement signed by his country and Rwanda, during his address to the 80th, UN General Assembly.
« The withdrawal of Rwandan troops, the end of their support for the M23 and the return of Congolese state authority over all occupied areas are non-negotiable conditions for lasting peace. I call on the United Nations to ensure the strict implementation of this agreement, which is now inseparable from the implementation of Resolution 27.73 (…) », has said Felix Tshisekedi.
‘Until these decisions are implemented, the blood of innocent people will continue to be shed,’ has said the President of DRC.
The Congolese Head of State also thanked the Trump administration for its initiative last month to convene a special session of the Security Council to examine the massacres documented by Human Rights Watch perpetrated in eastern of DRC, notably by the M23/AFC supported by the Rwandan army. This initiative led to the adoption in February of Resolution 27.73 on the security crisis in the country.
Similarly, President Felix Tshisekedi welcomed the leadership of President Donald Trump, who created the conditions for a dialogue that led to the signing of a peace agreement between DRC and Rwanda in Washington on June 27th, 2025.
The room during President Tshisekedi’s address to the 80th, UN General Assembly
According to Felix Tshisekedi, these two instruments of peace must be inseparable because they converge towards common objectives, such as a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Rwandan troops and their auxiliaries, and the lasting restoration of sustainable peace.
Resolution 27.73 requires, in particular, the withdrawal of the Rwandan aggressor from the occupied territories in the Kivu provinces, the dismantling of the parallel administrations established in violation of the sovereignty of DRC, and the cessation of all direct or indirect support to the M23 (…) The Washington Agreement expressly commits Kigali to a complete and verifiable withdrawal of its troops and the lifting of its so-called defensive measures. It also provides for the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups into DRC Armed Forces, the establishment of a joint security coordination mechanism, and a mechanism to ensure respect for territorial integrity and the cessation of hostilities.
Massacres are recurrent in these territories under Rwandan occupation. As recently as last July, more than 300 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children, were massacred in the Rutshuru territory by the AFC/M23 with the support of the Rwandan Defence Forces.
During a lively press lunch on Monday in New York, Felix Tshisekedi lamented the persistence of the crisis, despite the signing of the Washington agreement.
A meeting is scheduled in the coming days in Washington for the signing of an economic agreement between DRC and the United States, according to the Congolese Presidency.