Congo fighting flares within hours of Trump’s peace deal ceremony

Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame on Thursday reaffirmed commitments to a US-brokered deal reached in June to stabilize the vast country and open the way for more Western mining investment.

“We’re settling a war that’s been going on for decades,” said Trump, whose administration has intervened in a string of conflicts around the world to burnish his credentials as a peacemaker and advance US business interests.

On the ground however, fierce fighting continued with the warring sides blaming one another.

The Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebel group, which seized the two largest cities in eastern Congo earlier this year and is not bound by the Washington agreement, said forces loyal to the government were conducting widespread attacks.

The group said in a statement that 23 people were killed and several others wounded in bombardments that targeted towns in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

A Congolese army spokesman said clashes were ongoing and Rwandan forces were bombing.

Families flee clashes

Analysts say US diplomacy paused escalation of fighting in eastern Congo but failed to resolve core issues, with neither Congo nor Rwanda fulfilling pledges made in the June agreement.

Videos shared online on Friday showed dozens of displaced families fleeing on foot with their belongings and livestock near the town of Luvungi in South Kivu province in eastern Congo. Reuters was not immediately able to authenticate them.

“Numerous homes have been destroyed, and women as well as children have tragically lost their lives,” wrote Lawrence Kanyuka, the spokesperson for AFC/M23, which is not bound by the terms of any Congo-Rwanda agreement.

Forces loyal to the Congolese government “continued their relentless attacks on densely populated areas of North Kivu and South Kivu, using fighter jets, drones and heavy artillery,” he wrote on X, without giving an overall casualty toll.

A Congo army spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that clashes were ongoing Friday along the Kaziba, Katogota and Rurambo axis in the South Kivu province.

Reagan Mbuyi Kalonji, army spokesperson for South Kivu, told Reuters the Congolese army had only targeted fighters in the hills above Kaziba and Rurambo.

“There is population displacement in Luvungi due to Rwandan Defense Force bombardment. They are bombing blindly,” he said.

Rwanda’s army and government spokespersons were not immediately available for comment.

A senior AFC/M23 official told Reuters rebel forces had retaken the town of Luberika and shot down a Congolese army drone. He requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media.

“The war continues on the ground and has no connection with the signing of the agreement that took place yesterday in Washington,” he said.

UNICEF on Friday said it was alarmed by clashes on December 3 and 4 in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, that hit three schools and another site near a school, reportedly killing at least seven children and injuring others.

“In 2025, fighting has intensified to levels not seen in years and children, as always, are bearing the brunt,” according to the statement.

The UN children’s agency called for an immediate halt to attacks on schools and other education facilities and urged all parties to the conflict to let children learn in safety.