DR Congo

Understand

Eastern DR Congo has been unstable since the 1990s, when the aftermath of Rwanda's 1994 genocide spilled across the border and drew in neighboring armies. Dozens of armed groups operate in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. The M23, a Tutsi-led rebel group defeated in 2013, launched a major new offensive in North Kivu in March 2022 and now operates alongside the political coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC). UN experts have said Rwanda supports M23 with troops and weapons. Rwanda says it is defending itself against the FDLR, an armed group with roots among perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.

M23 seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in late January 2025, and Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, in February 2025. It runs its own administration and taxation in the areas it holds. On the other side are the Congolese army (FARDC), allied militias known as Wazalendo and Burundian troops, who fight alongside government forces in South Kivu. M23 is allied with other groups, including Twirwaneho in the South Kivu highlands.

Two diplomatic tracks run in parallel. In Washington, DR Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement on June 27, 2025, and Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame signed the Washington Accords on December 4, 2025. The texts cover action against the FDLR, the lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures and regional economic integration. In Doha, Qatar mediates between Kinshasa and AFC/M23, which signed a framework for a comprehensive peace agreement on November 15, 2025.

Parties

• DR Congo government (FARDC) Congolese army fighting M23 alongside allied militias; colors in this theatre are not a judgment.
• AFC/M23 Rebel coalition holding Goma and Bukavu and negotiating with Kinshasa in Doha; color is not a judgment.
• Rwanda Accused by UN experts of backing M23; says it acts against the FDLR threat; signatory to the Washington Accords.
• Wazalendo militias Local armed groups fighting M23 alongside the Congolese army.
• Burundi Its troops fight alongside Congolese forces in South Kivu.
• United States and Qatar Mediators of the Washington and Doha tracks.

Analysis

Neither track has stopped the fighting as of early October 2026. M23 took Uvira near the Burundi border in December 2025, days after the Washington signing, and withdrew in January 2026 under US pressure, after which the army re-entered the city. Clashes continue on the Masisi-Walikale front in North Kivu and in the Minembwe highlands of South Kivu, with both sides using drones. In August 2026, DR Congo told the UN Security Council that abuses had killed more than 300 people; Rwanda rejected the allegations.

Implementation is partial. DR Congo released 15 prisoners to M23 in August 2026 in a transfer facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Talks in Switzerland from August 17 to 21, 2026 produced a roadmap for further negotiations, but only two of eight planned Doha protocols, on ceasefire monitoring and detainee release, have been signed. An expanded ceasefire verification mechanism that includes the parties, the African Union, Qatar and the US carried out its first field missions in Minembwe and Masisi in August and September 2026. Under the Washington framework, a joint security committee met in Geneva on September 16-17, 2026.

What to watch

• Whether the remaining six Doha protocols are signed
• Whether Rwanda lifts its defensive measures and action against the FDLR begins under the Washington Accords
• Front lines on the Masisi-Walikale axis and in the Minembwe highlands
• Whether ceasefire verification missions lead to a halt in fighting

Data

Parties

DR Congo government and allies; AFC/M23 and allies; Rwanda

Began

March 2022 (M23 resurgence)

M23-held cities

Goma (since January 2025) and Bukavu (since February 2025)

Peace texts

Washington Accords (December 4, 2025); Doha Framework (November 15, 2025)

Doha protocols signed

2 of 8 (as of September 2026)

Internally displaced

UN: 5.8 million (2026)

Timeline

1. 2022-03M23 launches a major new offensive in North Kivu's Rutshuru territory.
2. 2025-02M23 captures Bukavu, weeks after taking Goma in late January.
3. 2025-06-27DR Congo and Rwanda sign a peace agreement in Washington.
4. 2025-11-15Kinshasa and AFC/M23 sign the Doha Framework for a comprehensive peace agreement.
5. 2025-12-04Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame sign the Washington Accords.
6. 2025-12-10M23 announces full control of Uvira in South Kivu.
7. 2026-01-17M23 completes its withdrawal from Uvira and the army re-enters the city.
8. 2026-08Talks in Switzerland produce a roadmap for the Doha negotiations.

Live events, aircraft and thermal anomalies for every theatre are published as GeoJSON on the data endpoints page.