Joint Statement from the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes region (ICG)

The United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, as members of the International Contact Group (ICG) for the Great Lakes region, chaired by France, issue the following statement regarding the disarmament, demobilization, and cantonment protocol signed between the Congolese authorities and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda-FOCA (FDLR) The ICG takes good note of the announcement made on 28 July by the DRC government, that a faction of the FDLR formally accepted and signed a protocol on their disarmament, demobilization, and cantonment.  The ICG urges the Congolese authorities to promptly develop an operational plan and a realistic timeline to implement an effective FDLR neutralization in line with obligations signed in the Washington Agreements and the Disengagement of Forces/Lifting of Defensive Measures of Rwanda (CONOPS) of October 31, 2024, and the Washington agreement of June 27, 2025. The ICG notes the crucial importance that the Congolese Government implements the protocol. It therefore also urges the Congolese government to clarify the mechanisms for combati...