Congo War Security Review, October 3, 2025

Data Cutoff: October 3, 2025, at 1 P.M. EST

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Key Takeaway: Members of the Joint Oversight Committee met to finalize implementation of the security provisions in the US-backed peace agreement. The Congolese government and M23 are set to convene for the next round of Qatari-brokered talks next week. The Congolese army (FARDC) conducted a drone strike on M23 in an urban area in Rutshuru district in North Kivu. The FARDC conducted drone strikes on M23 in a remote area in Walikale district in North Kivu.

Kinetic Activity in Rutshuru & Eastern Masisi Districts

The Congolese army (FARDC) conducted a drone strike on M23 in an urban area in Rutshuru district in North Kivu. The Congolese media outlet Tazama RDC reported that the FARDC targeted an M23 military camp used for logistics operations near Rutshuru town in the strike on October 1.[i] The outlet reported that M23 then tried to shoot down the drone using a mortar but the projectile fell and destroyed property in a residential area about two miles from Rutshuru town.[ii] M23 officials blamed the damage from the strike on the FARDC and accused the FARDC of targeting civilians on October 2.[iii] Lawrence Kanyuka, M23’s political spokesperson, claimed that the FARDC launched the attack from its bases in Uvira in South Kivu and Burundi.[iv] Kanyuka said that M23 “finds itself compelled to intervene to protect and save” civilians.[v] M23 reportedly began moving “hundreds” of troops to the frontlines in Masisi, Walikale, and Rutshuru districts in North Kivu and to South Kivu after the strike on October 2.[vi]

Northern Axis: Lubero-Butembo-Beni-Bunia

Nothing significant to report.

Southern Axis: Bukavu-Uvira-Baraka-Kalemie

Nothing significant to report.

Northwest Axis: Masisi-Walikale-Lubutu-Kisangani

The FARDC conducted drone strikes on M23 in a remote area in Walikale district in North Kivu. The FARDC reportedly targeted M23 positions in Buleusa locality in Ikobo group on October 2.[vii] Buleusa is Ikobo’s administrative center, located roughly 10 miles northeast of Pinga on a forested route.

M23 reportedly clashed with pro-Congolese government Wazalendo fighters in southern Masisi district. The Congolese media outlet Beto.cd reported that M23 attacked several Wazalendo positions near Remeka village in the Katoyi sector in Masisi on October 1 and 2.[viii] Remeka is about 13 miles southwest of Rubaya in southern Masisi district.

Southwest Axis: Bukavu-Kamituga-Shabunda-Kindu

Nothing significant to report.

Major Political Developments

Members of the Joint Oversight Committee met to finalize implementation of the security provisions in the US-backed peace agreement. The DRC and Rwanda—along with Qatar, Togo as the African Union Representative, and the United States—convened for the third Joint Oversight Committee meeting in Washington, DC, on October 1.[ix] The committee finalized and confirmed the start date for the Operational Order against an ethnic Hutu extremist militia and its auxiliaries—the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR)—and the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the eastern DRC on October 1.[x] The readout said that the committee members “acknowledged challenges” in implementing the peace agreement, discussed military escalation in North and South Kivu, and committed to “refrain from hostile actions or rhetoric” that would “undermine or complicate” the agreement’s execution.[xi] The fourth committee meeting is scheduled to take place after the next Joint Security Coordination Mechanism meeting on October 21 to 22.[xii]

The Congolese government and M23 are set to convene for the next round of Qatari-brokered talks next week. The Qatari delegation said at the Joint Oversight Committee meeting that talks are scheduled to resume during the week of October 6.[xiii]

M23 invalidated Congolese government-issued visas and issued its own travel requirements in areas that it controls. Bertrand Bisimwa, M23’s deputy political chief, declared visas issued by the Congolese government as “null and void” and ordered that foreign nationals, UN staff, and non-governmental organization workers must obtain M23-issued visas for access to areas under its control in a decree issued in early October.[xiv] A senior M23 official told French state media on October 3 after M23 issued the decree that the group considers itself the “guarantor of the nation in the area we control.”[xv] M23 issued the order reportedly in retaliation for the Congolese government’s travel restrictions on M23-controlled areas, which has disrupted regional travel and been a notable source of tension between the two sides since early 2025.[xvi]