DRC-Rwanda: Can Geneva talks break the cycle of war in eastern Congo?
M23 controls large parts of eastern DRC as Kinshasa and Kigali remain divided over security and sovereignty.
Goma, DR Congo – More than a year after the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed an agreement intended to end their confrontation, the two countries are back at the negotiating table in Geneva. In eastern Congo, however, the guns have not gone quiet.
The dispute over the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Rwanda’s military presence in Congolese territory and M23’s control of large parts of the east is now difficult to separate. While the DRC and Rwanda negotiate in Geneva, Kinshasa is pursuing a separate dialogue with the political alliance backing M23.
In Goma, where M23 fighters captured the city in January 2025, the latest round of diplomacy is being judged against what has happened since.
For Walayi, the continued violence has made it difficult to view another round of diplomacy with confidence.