Congo War Security Review
An in-depth review of activity related to the war in the eastern DRC between M23 and its Rwandan backers and pro-Congolese government forces every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Map shapefiles are available by request via email at [email protected].
* CTP will be pausing the Congo War Security Review from September 8 through September 12. CTP will resume its usual schedule on September 15. *
Data Cutoff: September 5, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST
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Key Takeaway: The DRC, Rwanda, and observer nations met for the second meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee. Qatari-brokered peace talks between the Congolese government and M23 are reportedly deadlocked. M23 clashed with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters in Rutshuru district in North Kivu.
Kinetic Activity in Rutshuru & Eastern Masisi Districts
M23 clashed with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters in Rutshuru district in North Kivu. Congolese media reported that M23 clashed with Wazalendo fighters in at least four villages in the Bwito chiefdom in Rutshuru on September 4.[i] Congolese media reported that the Wazalendo fighters belong to the Collectif des Mouvements pour le Changement-Forces de Défense du Peuple (CMC-FDP), which is an ethnic Hutu militia that has ties to the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR).[ii]
Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie
Nothing significant to report.
Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani
Nothing significant to report.
Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu
Nothing significant to report.
Major Political Developments
The DRC, Rwanda, and observer nations met for the second meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee. Representatives from the DRC and Rwanda, along with the African Union, Qatar, Togo, and the United States, met this week in Washington, DC, to discuss the implementation of the late June peace agreement and the security crisis in the eastern DRC.[iii] The readout said that the committee “acknowledged slowness” in implementing various provisions of the US-brokered agreement.[iv] Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to cut support for non-state armed groups and implement the security provisions of the agreement ahead of an upcoming Joint Security Coordination Mechanism meeting in Doha, the Qatari capital.[v] The readout also said that both sides committed to exchange intelligence and facilitate military communication ahead of the Joint Security Mechanism meeting.[vi]
Qatari-brokered peace talks between the Congolese government and M23 are reportedly deadlocked. French state media reported on September 4 that representatives from both sides have been in Doha for nearly three weeks but that no concrete progress has been made and the talks remain stalled over complex issues regarding the release of prisoners on both sides.[vii]
[i] https://www.radiookapi dot net/2025/09/04/actualite/securite/rutshuru-des-affrontements-armes-paralysent-les-activites-dans; https://kivumorningpost dot com/2025/09/04/rutshuru-paralysie-des-activites-a-nyanzale-suite-a-une-attaque-armee
[ii] https://www.radiookapi dot net/2025/09/04/actualite/securite/rutshuru-des-affrontements-armes-paralysent-les-activites-dans; https://kivumorningpost dot com/2025/09/04/rutshuru-paralysie-des-activites-a-nyanzale-suite-a-une-attaque-armee
[iii] https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/joint-statement-on-the-second-joint-oversight-committee-meeting-for-the-peace-agreement-between-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-the-republic-of-rwanda
[iv] https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/joint-statement-on-the-second-joint-oversight-committee-meeting-for-the-peace-agreement-between-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-the-republic-of-rwanda
[v] https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/joint-statement-on-the-second-joint-oversight-committee-meeting-for-the-peace-agreement-between-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-the-republic-of-rwanda
[vi] https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/09/joint-statement-on-the-second-joint-oversight-committee-meeting-for-the-peace-agreement-between-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-the-republic-of-rwanda
[vii] https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20250904-rdc-la-lib%C3%A9ration-des-prisonniers-un-obstacle-majeur-dans-les-pourparlers-de-paix-%C3%A0-doha
