The resurgence of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (hereinafter: DRC) was reported within hours of the ceremony for a peace deal settling the conflict with Rwanda. The accord, which aimed to establish a cessation of hostilities in the nation, saw renewed clashes shortly after its public announcement on 5 December 2025. The reports highlight that hostilities were resumed rapidly following the formal signing of the agreement.
The Washington Accords Signed on 4 December 2025
On 4 December 2025, the Presidents of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda, Paul Kagame, formally signed the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity in Washington. The ceremony was presided over by President of the United States of America (hereinafter: USA) and was attended by officials from several other African nations, including Kenya, Angola, Burundi, Togo and Uganda.
The agreement, which has been stated as a historic achievement, was intended to end a decades-long conflict in the region and finalise an earlier deal signed in June 2025. The Accords reinforce commitments to respect territorial integrity and address security concerns. A main point of the deal calls for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the eastern DRC and for the Congolese government to end its support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militia.
The agreement also established the Regional Economic Integration Framework (hereinafter: REIF), a bilateral initiative intended to unlock the economic potential of the Great Lakes region and create opportunities for the USA’s private sector involvement, especially concerning critical minerals, as the nation seeks to compete with increasing Chinese influence in the region. President Tshisekedi hailed the accord as a turning point for the region, while President Kagame praised the diplomatic approach.
Renewed Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Despite the formal commitments made in Washington, clashes continued and intensified in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on 5 December 2025. The outbreak of fighting, which occurred mere hours after the high-profile ceremony, was reported in areas of eastern DRC, where the March 23 Movement (hereinafter: M23) armed group operates. The M23 is an armed group that is not formally bound by the terms of the Democratic Republic of Congo-Rwanda agreement.
The ongoing violence occurred against a backdrop of prior ceasefire violations and mutual accusations between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 in the preceding weeks. The continuation of hostilities prompted concern that the peace remains precarious and that the pact is unlikely to bring an immediate end to the fighting. The renewed fighting underscores the immediate challenges to implementing the cessation of hostilities on the ground.
Concluding Outlook
The prompt and immediate resumption of fighting in the DRC following the ceremony for the Washington Accords indicates a persistent chasm between formal political agreements and the intricate, granular realities of local conflict dynamics. While the accord establishes a theoretically robust framework for security and economic cooperation between the two primary states, the continued activity of non-state actors like the M23, which is not a signatory to the agreement, complicates the immediate transition to stability.
The core challenge for future policy and diplomatic engagement will be to move beyond the symbolic value of the signed agreement toward a robust, verifiable mechanism for de-escalation that addresses the underlying political and societal drivers of the conflict. This development suggests that the political path is likely to remain focused on the difficulties of enforcement and the need for a sustained, micro-level methodology to translate supranational diplomatic outcomes into provincial and national stability, a requirement for unlocking the region’s vast economic potential.
