Tensions in the Great Lakes region are once again under scrutiny as Rwanda accuses the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of actively undermining peace efforts through the deployment of foreign mercenaries.
Despite ongoing regional and international mediation efforts aimed at resolving the conflict in eastern DRC, Kigali says Kinshasa is escalating the situation by bringing in private military contractors to fight on its behalf.
During the Rwanda Convention 2025 in Texas, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, publicly condemned the DRC for hiring Colombian mercenaries through Constellis, the controversial American security firm formerly known as Blackwater.
He said the move directly contradicts the spirit of peace negotiations and fuels further instability in the region.
He alleged that DRC claims to be committed to peace, yet it is hiring Colombian mercenaries through Blackwater to wage war in eastern Congo.
This, observers say, is a serious violation of trust and a direct threat to regional security.
His remarks come just days after reports emerged that at least three of these foreign mercenaries had been killed or captured by the M23 rebel group in Walikale, a flashpoint of ongoing conflict in North Kivu province.
The incident offered concrete evidence of foreign mercenary involvement in the conflict and raised questions about the DRC government’s intentions.
Constellis or Blackwater has once provided private security and military services to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in covert operations.
The deployment of such forces in the DRC, Rwanda argues, signals a dangerous turn in the conflict and threatens to undo the fragile progress made through diplomatic efforts in Luanda, Nairobi, and Doha.
Kigali has repeatedly insisted that lasting peace in eastern Congo can only be achieved through political dialogue, regional cooperation, and a demilitarization of the conflict landscape—not through the use of foreign guns-for-hire.
Minister Nduhungirehe’s warning at the Rwanda Convention underscored growing frustrations in Kigali and among regional actors who view the DRC’s military approach as incompatible with the ongoing peace agenda.
As diplomatic channels remain open, Rwanda continues to call for transparency, restraint, and genuine commitment to peace from all actors involved in the eastern Congo crisis.