The Barometer of Peace Agreements in Africa has made public the evaluation of the implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement, signed on June 27, 2025 between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. The report covers the period from December 1 to 31, 2025.
According to this document consulted on Monday January 5, 2026, the overall cumulative execution score of the agreement recorded no progress in December 2025, marking a clear slowdown in the process. After successive advances – from 9% at the end of July to 19% at the end of August, then 21.6% at the end of October and 23.3% at the end of November – the dynamic observed in previous months ran out of steam at the end of the year.
The same observation applies to the score of partially completed tasks, which remained strictly unchanged in December. For the Barometer, this slowdown highlights the limits of effective compliance with the commitments made by the signatory parties. It also underlines the need for mediators and international partners to intensify their efforts in order to improve the quality of implementation, strengthen the good faith of stakeholders and preserve the sustainability of progress still considered fragile.
Call for more transparency in monitoring mechanisms
Faced with this situation, the Barometer recommends that the Joint Monitoring Committee (JOC) and the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) between the DRC and Rwanda publish more complete and detailed reports. These documents should, according to the organization, account for all violations noted, delays, cases of non-fulfillment of commitments as well as the corrective measures envisaged.
Such an approach, believes the Barometer, would strengthen transparency and help restore public confidence in the peace process, instead of the joint press releases currently being issued which are considered too succinct.
Towards a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Doha
Collectively addressing the facilitators — the United States, Qatar and the African Union mediator — the Africa Peace Agreement Barometer recommends the development and proposal to the parties of a memorandum of understanding. This would aim to establish the complementarity and non-exclusivity of the commitments resulting from the Washington and Doha processes.
Such an instrument would, according to the organization, make it possible to integrate the AFC/M23 into the framework of the Washington Agreement and formally engage Rwanda in the Doha process. This approach would promote better coordination and greater coherence between the two diplomatic initiatives.
Targeted recommendations for facilitators
In the United States, the Barometer recommends in particular:
- maintain diplomatic pressure on Kinshasa and Kigali in order to respect the agreed deadlines concerning the neutralization of the FDLR and the lifting of Rwandan defensive measures taken by the DRC;
- encourage Rwanda to offer security and judicial guarantees to FDLR combatants still present in the DRC to facilitate their voluntary repatriation;
- strengthen technical and logistical support to the JSCM and the JOC in order to improve coordination and verification of the implementation of the Agreement;
- guarantee MONUSCO the financial, technical and logistical resources necessary to carry out its reinforced mandate, particularly in terms of protection of civilians, neutralization of armed groups, monitoring of the ceasefire within the framework of the Doha process and support for DDR programs;
- continue active support for Qatari mediation between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23.
In Qatar, it is recommended to:
- continue to work for enhanced complementarity between the Doha and Washington processes;
- support the operation of the joint verification mechanism agreed on October 14, 2025 between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23.
To the African Union mediator, the Barometer recommends:
- ensure the harmonization of the Washington and Doha processes, consistent with continental peace efforts in the Great Lakes region, in particular by inviting participants in the high-level meeting scheduled for January 2026 in Togo to examine the advisability of a memorandum of understanding;
- advocate for the allocation of autonomous funding to the continental monitoring mechanism, through the adoption of a dedicated budget within the African Union, guaranteeing its institutional and operational viability.
A security situation still worrying
Despite the involvement of American President Donald Trump and the apparent acceleration of the Washington process – materialized by the endorsement of the agreements by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame – the security situation on the ground is struggling to improve. Kinshasa and Kigali continue to accuse each other of violations of commitments made, fueling persistent mistrust.
The Doha discussions, conducted under the aegis of the Emir of Qatar between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 rebellion, supported by Rwanda, are also experiencing a clear slowdown. Intended to complement the Washington agreements by addressing the root causes of the conflict — notably the restoration of state authority and the reintegration of armed groups — these negotiations remain largely stalled. Several measures already taken, including the ceasefire mechanism, the declaration of principles and the framework agreement, have still not been implemented.
This diplomatic inertia has favored the resumption of violent clashes in the east of the DRC. Furthermore, the national dialogue, called for by several socio-political actors to support these peace initiatives, is still slow to be convened. President Félix Tshisekedi maintains his position, believing that any initiative in this direction must emanate exclusively from his authority, despite the recent publication of the road map of religious confessions.
Clement Muamba
