KIGALI, Rwanda 

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s president said Monday that his government will remain firm in demanding justice and accountability for the victims of atrocities committed in the country’s eastern region, despite a peace agreement signed recently with Rwanda.

In a national address on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the country’s independence from Belgian colonial rule, Felix Tshisekedi said the agreement signed in Washington, DC on June 27 opens unprecedented prospects of peace for Congolese in the east of the country, long marred by a decades-old conflict.

“It heralds an era of lasting peace, regional cooperation and shared prosperity. It commits us to rebuilding our communities, revitalizing our economies and restoring the dignity of every Congolese. But this peace, as precious as it is, remains fragile; it requires an unwavering commitment from all of us -- the government, citizens and international partners -- to strengthen it,” he said.

“We will continue to demand that justice be served for the victims and that those responsible for the atrocities be held accountable.”

Tshisekedi said the government’s ambition remains unequivocal: to restore the authority of the State throughout the country and to work towards the establishment of a real, lasting and shared peace throughout the sub-region.

He commended the US and Qatar for their role in the mediation process, which he said opened a sincere dialogue between Congo and Rwanda.

A conglomerate of various rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo said Monday that the US-brokered peace deal signed between Congo and Rwanda is “a step, albeit limited, but useful.”

However, Corneille Nangaa, coordinator of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), said reducing the crisis in Congo to a mere conflict between Kigali and Kinshasa is an “unacceptable deception.”

The AFC includes rebel groups and political parties, including the armed group M23.

“This commitment covers only a tiny part of the real cause of the conflict. The legitimate demands of the AFC/M23 remain. They can only be addressed within an inclusive framework,” Nangaa said in a message marking Congo’s 65th independence anniversary from Belgian colonial rule.

The peace agreement, signed Friday by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers, raises hopes of ending the intense fighting in eastern Congo.

Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, Congo’s foreign minister, described the initiative not only as a diplomatic victory but also as a triumph for the Congolese people.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said the agreement is based on a commitment to irreversibly and verifiably end state support for militia groups.

The deal also calls for a cessation of hostilities between the two neighboring countries’ armies.

M23’s role in the conflict

Clashes between the M23 and government forces in eastern Congo displaced at least 500,000 and killed more than 3,000 by late February, according to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

The rebel group, supported by neighboring Rwanda, according to the UN and Western nations, now controls significant territory in eastern Congo, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu that it seized early this year.

Nduhungirehe told Anadolu that Rwanda has no comment on the AFC/M23’s statement.

“But we committed, in the Washington Peace Agreement, to support the ongoing negotiations in Doha between that movement and the DRC government,” he said.

Nangaa said the coalition supports the Doha talks mediated by Qatar as a framework that should impose direct discussions between the group and the Rwandan government.

“No military solution can resolve the Congolese crisis in the long term,” he said.

Tshisekedi has long refused any negotiations with the M23, a stance Nangaa denounced as a “betrayal of our future generations.”