Citizens of DR Congo flee from Fighting One Day After Peace Deal Signed in Washington
London-UK, December 8, 2025
Just one day after the signing of the high-profile Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, hundreds of people were forced to flee intense fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).
The new peace agreement, endorsed by the presidents of DR Congo and Rwanda at a summit hosted by the US President, was intended to end years of deadly conflict and stabilise the volatile, resource-rich region.
However, the accord was immediately overshadowed by a rapid escalation of hostilities on the ground, proving that a diplomatic signature in a distant capital is no guarantee of security for civilians caught in the crossfire.
Reports confirmed that fighters from the anti-government M23 rebel group engaged in heavy battles with the Congolese army (FARDC), which was reportedly backed by thousands of Burundian soldiers.
The clashes centred around the strategic border town of Kamanyola in South Kivu province, a point where the borders of DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi converge.
Witnesses described detonations that shook buildings and lines of civilians fleeing the violence, seeking safety across the border into Rwanda and within the DR Congo’s own territory.
The immediate collapse of the unofficial truce demonstrates the deep-seated nature of the conflict and the profound difficulty in translating political commitments into palpable peace.
Key Headline Points
• Immediate Collapse: Intense fighting between M23 rebels and Congolese forces erupted just hours after the Washington Accords were signed, leading to a forced exodus of civilians.
• Strategic Battleground: Clashes were concentrated around the crucial border town of Kamanyola in South Kivu, a town now controlled by M23 rebels.
• External Support: The Congolese army (FARDC) was reportedly being supported by a deployment of Burundian soldiers, while the M23 group is widely believed to receive backing from Rwanda.
• The Washington Accords: The deal, signed by DR Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, was heavily promoted by the US and included a call for a permanent ceasefire and disarmament.
• High Civilian Toll: Reports from local sources confirm dozens of civilian deaths from bombings and shelling in towns like Luvungi, with thousands more displaced and seeking help in camps or border areas.
The Betrayal of the Accords
The Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity were hailed by US President Donald Trump as a “great day” for Africa, a transformative framework aimed at resolving tensions, creating a permanent ceasefire, and opening the region to economic investment in its strategic minerals.
The agreement, signed by President Félix Tshisekedi of the DR Congo and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, included principles of non-aggression, disarmament protocols, and a framework for regional economic integration.
Yet, even as the ink was drying on the document, fighting intensified drastically. The M23, an armed group that captured two provincial capitals earlier this year, accused the Congolese army of launching an offensive, while the FARDC responded by claiming the rebels were attempting to sabotage the peace process.
The violence has been particularly brutal for the civilian population in South Kivu. Residents of Luvungi reported being caught between “relentless pounding of bombs,” leading to numerous deaths.
Thousands of people, carrying their belongings, were seen abandoning their homes and moving towards internally displaced person (IDP) camps or seeking refuge in neighbouring Burundi and Rwanda.
This mass movement of people, mere days after the promise of an end to hostilities, throws into sharp relief the gap between high-level diplomacy and on-the-ground reality.
A Conflict of Proxies and Resources
The eastern DR Congo has been plagued by conflict for three decades, rooted in the fallout from the 1994 Rwandan genocide and a constant, brutal scramble for the region’s vast natural resources, including gold, diamonds, and critical minerals.
The current resurgence of the M23 rebels in 2021 has been particularly devastating.
The involvement of external actors complicates any peace effort.
While Rwanda denies providing military aid to the M23, the Congolese government and UN experts have long alleged Rwandan support.
Conversely, the FARDC’s reliance on allied forces, such as the large deployment of Burundian troops, is turning the local conflict into an escalating proxy war.
Burundi views the M23’s advance toward the city of Uvira, near the Burundian capital of Bujumbura, as a “red line” threat to its own security, thus reinforcing its intervention.
The failure of the Washington Accords to produce an immediate ceasefire—largely because the key armed groups were not directly party to the signing—highlights the fundamental flaw in the top-down approach to peace in the Congo.
Without genuine commitment and control over the non-state actors operating in the bush, the most ambitious diplomatic agreements will continue to be reduced to “ashes on the ground,” according to local observers, prolonging the cycle of violence and displacement for the people of DR Congo.
