Fighting has intensified in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Congolese and Rwandan leaders in Washington to sign new agreements aimed at ending decades of conflict in one of the world’s richest mineral regions.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-brokered agreement reached last June to contain the crisis and create a more stable environment to attract Western investment in the mining sector.
But on the ground, the violence has not stopped. The M23/Alliance of Forces for Change group — which is linked to Rwanda and has captured the two largest cities in eastern Congo this year — announced that it is not party to the Washington agreement and accused government forces of launching large-scale attacks in recent days, including shelling from inside Burundi that — according to the group — killed women and children and destroyed homes and civilian facilities.
For its part, the Congolese army denied targeting civilians and accused Rwandan forces of conducting strikes inside Congolese territory, saying it shot down a “hostile” drone that entered from Rwanda’s Bugarama area. The army also accused M23 fighters of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.
At the United Nations, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the fighting — ongoing since December 2 — has left casualties and triggered mass displacement, while UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated that clashes and roadblocks have hindered medical evacuations.
UNICEF expressed “deep concern” after shelling hit three schools and a site near another school in South Kivu on December 3 and 4, causing — according to local reports — the death of at least seven children and injuries to several others.
The organization added: “In 2025, the fighting has reached levels unseen in years, and children are paying the highest price.”