A hearing held by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee addressed ongoing conflict in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), focusing on the integration of M23 rebels into government security forces and regional cooperation over mineral resources.
Congressman Ronny Jackson, a former U.S. Army doctor from Texas, stated that bringing M23 rebels into government security forces, along with collaboration among neighboring countries to benefit from Congo’s mineral wealth, could help resolve the prolonged war in the region.
Committee chair Chris Smith emphasized the importance of steps outlined in last month’s Washington peace agreement between DRC and Rwanda. Smith said, “the most important thing in the Washington agreement” was the four steps set by all parties, on the basis that “Rwanda agreed to withdraw its troops [from Congo] but only if the DRC respected the agreed plan to destroy the FDLR group.” He also noted that root causes of the conflict are still developing and spreading, and identified the FDLR’s ideology as a continuing concern for Rwanda in northeastern Congo.
Sarah Troutman, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, provided a briefing at the hearing. She described FDLR as a group of concern and stated: “they are not allowed to operate in northeastern Congo.” Troutman added: “We continue to urge the DRC government that eliminating the FDLR, as they promised in this agreement, is a priority, and we want to see more steps taken to achieve that.” She also addressed integrating M23 into Congolese armed forces as an issue for upcoming Doha talks: “And it is something that will be discussed in the upcoming talks, and we strongly support the efforts that are being made to prepare for those talks, with the United States continuing to provide technical assistance as we prepare for those talks.”
However, Congolese authorities have criticized proposals for integrating former rebels. In September 2025, a ruling party lawmaker introduced legislation prohibiting recruitment of ex-rebels into military or government positions without first facing legal proceedings.
Chris Smith has served as U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 4th district since 1981 after succeeding Frank Thompson. He was born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1953 and currently resides in Manchester Township. Smith graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975.
The full article can be accessed at https://www.bbc.com/swahili/live/c368820yyzet
