Amb. Nduhungirehe made the remarks in an interview with Mama Urwagasabo TV published on September 15, 2026, in which he discussed what he described as the DRC government’s failure to implement the peace commitments agreed with Rwanda under the Washington Accords.

The Washington peace agreement, signed on June 27, 2025, and reaffirmed in the December 4, 2025 Washington Accords, includes commitments on the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda’s lifting of defensive measures.

The implementation process is being monitored through the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM), involving Rwanda, the DRC and international partners.

Amb. Nduhungirehe said the DRC government lacked the political will to implement its commitments, but argued that Rwanda was also concerned about what he described as a lack of impartiality by the mediator.

“There is an issue we have with the Government of Congo. But there is also another issue we have with the political will of the mediator.

"It does not make sense that the Government of Congo does whatever it wants, continues to provide weapons to the FDLR, even goes as far as organising politicians intended to give the FDLR a political face, and continues firing shells and drones at civilians in Masisi, Minembwe, Mushaki and everywhere, while the mediator does nothing about it,” he said.

Amb. Nduhungirehe said Rwanda had repeatedly informed the mediator about what it considers violations of the Washington Accords by the DRC, including alleged attacks by Congolese forces on civilians, but that the concerns had not resulted in a change of course.

“What they tell us is that they are talking to Kinshasa, that they understand what we are saying and that they are sending messages to Kinshasa. If those messages exist, they are not producing results because the attacks continue. We have never seen the Government of Congo change its policy of continuing the war,” he said.

He also questioned what he described as the mediator’s approach of communicating privately with the DRC about Rwanda’s concerns while publicly addressing allegations against Rwanda.

Amb. Nduhungirehe said Rwanda had lifted some defensive measures under the Washington process, although the United States has said Rwanda’s steps were insufficient.

“Rwanda is the country implementing what it committed to, while Congo has not started doing anything, and the mediator is watching. Congo must understand that a peace agreement is an agreement between two parties.

It has not started doing anything. On our side, there are defensive measures that we removed this year, and the Americans themselves have said so,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that although Rwanda had taken steps to lift some defensive measures, those steps were not sufficient.

Amb. Nduhungirehe argued that if Rwanda’s measures were considered insufficient, the mediator should also assess the DRC’s implementation of its own commitments.

The Washington peace agreement provides for implementation of the agreed security arrangements, including the neutralisation of the FDLR terrorist group and Rwanda’s lifting of defensive measures.

Amb. Nduhungirehe said Rwanda would continue using defensive measures if the DRC failed to neutralise the FDLR and the mediator continued, in his view, to act without impartiality.

“What we do as Rwanda, as a country, is that we will continue to defend ourselves. That is something that cannot be reversed. The Genocide against the Tutsi that happened in this country in 1994 will never happen again. We will put in place defensive measures that enable us to protect ourselves and our security, while continuing to demonstrate our willingness to implement the Washington Accords,” he said.

The Washington peace process set out a framework for the neutralisation of the FDLR and Rwanda’s lifting of defensive measures, with the parties working through the JSCM to coordinate implementation and monitoring.

At the sixth JSCM meeting in August, Rwanda and the DRC agreed to advance two initiatives aimed at strengthening monitoring and verification of implementation on the ground.

Rwanda and DRC officials are scheduled to meet in Geneva on September 16–17 for the seventh JSCM meeting to review progress in implementing the Washington Accords.