US accuses Rwanda of violating the peace deal as M23 rebels seize a key eastern Congo city

The United States accused Rwanda on Friday of violating a U.S.-brokered peace agreement by supporting a deadly new rebel offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that the Trump administration will take punitive measures against those undermining the deal.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz expressed “profound concern and incredible disappointment” over renewed violence by the M23 rebels in Congo’s mineral-rich eastern provinces.

“Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war,” Waltz told the Security Council. “We will use the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.”

The rebels’ latest offensive has resulted in more than 400 civilian deaths and displaced approximately 200,000 people in South Kivu province, according to regional officials. The violence comes despite a peace agreement signed last week in Washington between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, mediated by the Trump administration.

The M23 rebels have now seized the strategic port city of Uvira in eastern Congo, located on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika across from Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura. This capture follows their February takeover of Bukavu, the provincial capital of South Kivu, and allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across eastern Congo.

Uvira was Congo’s last major government foothold in South Kivu province. Its loss represents a significant territorial setback for Congolese forces and raises concerns about regional stability, particularly as the conflict approaches neighboring Burundi’s borders.

Ambassador Waltz claimed Rwandan forces have provided “logistics and training support to M23” and are fighting alongside the rebels, with “roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops as of early December.” The U.S. urged Rwanda to respect Congo’s territorial integrity and its right to invite allied forces, such as those from neighboring Burundi, to help combat the insurgency.

Congo’s Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner accused Rwanda of violating the peace agreement, which she described as offering “hope of a historic turning point.” She called for international sanctions against military and political leaders responsible for the attacks, as well as bans on mineral exports from Rwanda and its participation in UN peacekeeping missions.

“Rwanda continues to benefit, especially financially but also in terms of reputation, from its status as a troop-contributing country to peacekeeping missions,” Wagner told The Associated Press. Rwanda currently deploys nearly 6,000 troops to UN peacekeeping operations, making it one of the largest contributors globally.

Eastern Congo’s vast deposits of critical minerals have attracted significant international attention, particularly from the Trump administration, which sees the region as a potential alternative to China for rare earth elements essential for manufacturing everything from fighter jets to cell phones. Wagner indicated that economic agreements signed as part of the peace deal are contingent on stability returning to the region.

“We have told our American partners that we cannot envision any path toward shared economic prosperity without peace,” she said, noting that the economic partnership remains in early stages.

The conflict in eastern Congo has created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced according to the UN refugee agency. More than 100 armed groups operate in the region, with M23 growing dramatically from a few hundred members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters today, according to UN estimates.

Rwanda’s Ambassador to the UN, Karoli Martin Ngoga, rejected the accusations, instead claiming that Congo has repeatedly violated the ceasefire. He also accused the Congolese government of supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a primarily Hutu group that “threatens the very existence of Rwanda and its people.”

The FDLR’s origins trace back to the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, when nearly 2 million Hutus fled to Congo. Rwandan authorities have long accused some of these refugees of participating in the genocide that killed 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

“Rwanda reiterates its full commitment to implement its part of the agreement,” Ngoga assured the Security Council, although Rwanda has previously acknowledged deploying troops and missile systems in eastern Congo for what it claims are security reasons.

The escalating conflict threatens to destabilize an already volatile region, with civilians fleeing across borders and reports of artillery shells falling in neighboring Burundi. International observers fear that without immediate diplomatic intervention, the conflict could evolve into a broader regional war with devastating consequences for Central Africa’s fragile security architecture.