The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) have launched operations targeting fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Kivu Post has learned.
Deputy Commander of the FARDC, General Ychaligonza Jacques, announced the development on Sunday after arriving at Bangboka Airport in Kisangani, Tshopo Province, where he presided over an inaugural military parade at the Camp General Bauma.
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According to reports, General Ychaligonza said the operations aim to dismantle the FDLR, an armed group formed by remnants linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
The move is part of the implementation of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, signed on December 4, 2025, by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with facilitation from the United States government.
The Accords include provisions for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops, the dismantling of the FDLR, regional economic integration, and the establishment of a joint security mechanism.
“By force or voluntarily, they must lay down their arms. We do not want bloodshed… they must surrender so that they can be returned to their country, Rwanda,” General Ychaligonza told local journalists.
Reports indicate that at least three FARDC battalions have been deployed and are ready to carry out the operations.
“It is an operation that will be followed through until we return them to their homeland,” Ychaligonza added, highlighting that the operation is being closely monitored, including by the international community.
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The United Nations (UN), Rwanda, and several Western countries have repeatedly accused FARDC of collaborating with FDLR fighters—an allegation Kinshasa denies.
Meanwhile, Kinshasa and the UN accuse Rwanda of supporting the AFC/M23 rebel group, which has seized parts of eastern Congo. Rwanda has consistently denied the allegations.
The FDLR, founded in 2000, seeks to overthrow the Kigali regime and has been a major source of instability in the Great Lakes region for more than two decades.
It is also designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
