6/30/2025 DRC (International Christian Concern) — Representatives from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the United States gathered in Washington, D.C., last week to sign a historic peace agreement between the two East African nations.  

Roughly 6 million people have been killed since the Rwanda-DRC conflict began in the 1990s as a spillover from the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Today, an estimated 7 million people remain internally displaced within the DRC. 

The agreement calls for Rwanda to withdraw its forces from eastern DRC and for the two countries to launch a joint security framework within the next 30 days. Other elements of the deal include provisions for economic cooperation and U.S. access to mineral rights in the DRC. 

While the peace deal marks a significant step forward in the decades-long conflict, many analysts caution that it is unlikely to bring widespread peace to the region or ensure the safe return of millions of displaced persons. 

Rwanda is known to support the M23 militant group, but the extent of that support and the group’s willingness to stand down following the agreement remain unclear. Though M23 receives backing from Rwanda, its fighters are primarily Congolese. 

Even if M23 were to dismantle its operations and relinquish control of the parallel administrations currently governing several areas of eastern DRC, it would still be far from the only militant group operating in the region. Without a robust force to fill the void, its withdrawal would likely create a dangerous power vacuum. 

Roughly 120 distinct militant groups are active in the DRC, each with its own leadership, supply lines, and motivations. Among them is the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a jihadist militia aligned with the Islamic State and known for its brutality and hostility toward Christianity, the dominant religion in the country. 

In February, local sources reported the massacre of 70 Christians in the DRC’s eastern Lubero Territory, near the border with Uganda and Rwanda. Authorities quickly identified ADF as the likely perpetrator. According to reports, militia members detained scores of Christian villagers, tied them up inside a Protestant church, and decapitated them with machetes. 

The DRC’s government has long struggled to govern its northeastern territories effectively and last year demanded the withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission, leaving the path to long-term stability even more uncertain. 

U.N. peacekeepers have worked to protect millions of displaced persons but have faced increasing difficulty executing their mission amid rebel advances. The mission, known as MONUSCO, has grown increasingly unpopular with Congolese leaders. In December 2023, the U.N. Security Council approved a phased withdrawal following a request from President Felix Tshisekedi for an expedited exit. 

MONUSCO began its drawdown in February 2024. Previously, the mission had been operating in the DRC for more than 13 years, deploying nearly 18,000 personnel, including about 14,000 armed troops. Recent territorial gains by terrorist groups appear to be at least partly the result of the vacuum left by the mission’s departure. 

The first phase of the withdrawal focused on U.N. bases in South Kivu Province. Troops are expected to leave Ituri and North Kivu — where violence is most concentrated — later in 2024. 

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