çThe specter of regional conflict returned to center stage Wednesday as a new United Nations report publicly implicated Rwanda in the ongoing violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), despite a recently signed peace agreement with Kinshasa.

The UN Group of Experts, in a document presented to the Security Council in May and released on July 2, confirmed the presence of up to 6,000 Rwandan soldiers in Congolese territory between January and May 2025.

According to the report, these troops—among them special forces and intelligence operatives—provided direct military support to the AFC/M23 rebel coalition, enabling the seizure of strategic towns such as Goma and Bukavu earlier this year.

The revelations arrive barely a week after the governments of Rwanda and the DRC signed a U.S.-brokered peace accord in Washington, intended to calm rising tensions in the Great Lakes region. Now, the credibility of that agreement faces new scrutiny.

According to the UN experts, the Rwandan military command—under the leadership of high-ranking officials including James Kabarebe, a former army chief and current Minister of Regional Cooperation—orchestrated and coordinated the rebel campaign. Kabarebe, along with General Vincent Nyakarundi and General Patrick Karuretwa, is cited as a principal architect of the operations.

The Rwandan forces reportedly established a forward base in Gisenyi, just across the border from Goma, and deployed proxy intelligence units composed of former demobilized FDLR combatants. Rather than targeting the FDLR, Kigali’s stated enemy, the UN report suggests the real aim was territorial expansion and control of mineral-rich land and agricultural zones in North and South Kivu.

The investigators also denounced practices of forced recruitment by the M23 rebels, who allegedly enlisted ex-Congolese soldiers, members of the diaspora, and former Rwandan troops—some voluntarily, others under coercion.

In response, the Rwandan government denied the allegations and reaffirmed its dedication to the peace agreement, stating through spokesperson Yolande Makolo: “Rwanda is fully committed to the accord’s implementation, including the neutralization of the FDLR.”

Meanwhile, Kinshasa has not issued an official statement, but military sources inside the DRC continue to decry Rwanda’s covert involvement in Congolese territory. Civil society actors in Goma and Bukavu also fear a renewed wave of displacement and violence, particularly as rebel forces consolidate control over strategic trade routes.

As regional observers warn of a deepening proxy war, the report amplifies calls for international sanctions and diplomatic accountability. The Rwandan operations, say the experts, not only violate Congolese sovereignty but expose the fragility of foreign-mediated peace efforts in a region where extractive interests and military alliances remain heavily entangled.

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