How Kinshasa pushed its way to control narrative on eastern Congo war

First, the UN Security Council lifted an arms embargo on the Congolese army, but tightened screws on non-state armed groups like the M23 or FDLR.

A panel of experts from the UN, charged with investigating the eastern Congo war kept returning the same verdict: Rwanda was fanning the conflict. Soon, France and US joined the chorus, backing Kinshasa. Then came sanctions, all targeting Rwandan agencies or senior military figures, or M23 rebel group.

These may be fruits of a sweeping diplomatic campaign, meant to frame the conflict in eastern Congo on Kinshasa’s terms, one seen as being the result of outside interference. And they are a result of direct engagements with Washington, just much as lobbying.

In 2025, Kinshasa terminated $120, 000-a-month lobbying contract with US lobbyists, opting instead for direct contacts with both the White House and Capitol Hill. After that, President Félix Tshisekedi offered the US direct access to his country’s natural resources in return for security support, especially in the east of the country.

In the east, Congolese officials had a problem: They had perennially accused Rwanda of fomenting a conflict and using it to smuggle minerals out to the outside market, especially Europe. The officials found the UN Panel of Experts reports a plausible foundation to launch their own counter-narrative.

Since then, officials have addressed the UN Security Council, held bilateral missions in Europe, Africa and the Middle East and spoken publicly against Rwanda. President Tshisekedi and his envoys have been pressing allies to back the DRC’s case and rally support for stalled peace efforts in the Great Lakes region.

Four key figures are leading what has become a coordinated diplomatic strategy: government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, Foreign Affairs Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Regional Integration Minister Floribert Anzuluni, and Mr Tshisekedi himself.

While President Tshisekedi oversees what could be described as a diplomatic task force, the ministers involved have been carrying out an intense diplomatic campaign across several continents.

Mr Muyaya and Guillaume Ngefa recently travelled to Switzerland and France, to advance the DRC’s legal case against Rwanda before the International Court of Justice. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa travelled to New York to launch the DRC’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council. Foreign Minister Kayikwamba continued the mission at the UN before heading to Israel, where the two countries launched cooperation between their diplomatic academies. They also signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a framework for high-level diplomatic consultations.

Ms Kayikwamba’s visit to Israel also provided an opportunity to discuss the security situation in eastern Congo, where fighting involving the M23 rebel group continues, according to the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kinshasa presented its diplomatic case, explaining why the international community should support peace efforts in the Great Lakes region in line with the Washington peace agreement.

The DRC has consistently maintained the same position: exposing what it says is Rwanda’s widely condemned support for the M23 while urging all stakeholders to prioritise peace in the Great Lakes region. This message has become the guiding principle of an increasingly active diplomatic campaign.

Mr Tshisekedi has ensured that nearly all his envoys carry the same message. Regional Integration Minister Anzuluni has delivered it to about 10 heads of state to present the DRC’s position on the conflict with Rwanda and the prospects for restoring peace.

Between July 10 and 27, Anzuluni held meetings with officials from the European Union, France, Belgium, South Africa, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Togo and Equatorial Guinea.

At every stop, he highlighted what Kinshasa describes as a memorandum of understanding reached with the FDLR on its disarmament. The underlying message was that the DRC is fulfilling its commitments to advance the peace process.