The United States (U.S.) has urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to implement the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity without delay, while raising concern over the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
Addressing the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday, October 13th, 2026, Ambassador Jeffrey Bartos, the U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform, said the accords presented a historic opportunity to advance peace, stability and prosperity in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.
“Realizing that promise requires the DRC and Rwanda to implement their obligations fully and without delay,” Bartos said.
He urged both parties to respect the ceasefire, stop harmful drone strikes and avoid inflammatory rhetoric. He also called on all Security Council members to reinforce these expectations.
Bartos thanked Qatar for its continued mediation efforts and urged the DRC and AFC/M23, operating under their newly rebranded alliance, the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, to build on progress made in Switzerland and finalise the remaining Doha protocols. He also welcomed African Union mediation led by Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, alongside efforts by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
He said the first missions conducted by the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus to Minembwe and Masisi demonstrated how impartial verification could help investigate alleged violations. He praised MONUSCO for its operational support and welcomed the DRC’s transfer of 15 detainees to AFC/M23 under a prisoner exchange protocol, describing the move as a confidence-building measure.
On security, Bartos said efforts to neutralise the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) must continue. He added that any cooperation between the FDLR and elements of the Congolese armed forces must end immediately. He pointed to the repatriation of more than 120 former FDLR combatants and their family members as evidence of progress, and urged the DRC to clarify its demobilisation plan and begin implementing it.
Bartos said these measures must be matched by action from Rwanda. “Rwanda must immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops and military equipment from the DRC and cease all support to M23,” he said.
He added that the United States would continue taking action against those who undermine peace, abuse civilians or profit from the illegal exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources. He also called for safe access for health workers responding to the Ebola outbreak.
