DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has asked Russia to back UN demands that Rwandan troops leave his country and to support mediation, in an appeal at the third Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.

He also asked President Vladimir Putin to help at the UN Security Council when the MONUSCO peacekeeping mandate, which ends in December, comes up for renewal, according to published reports.

What Tshisekedi asked for

According to the president's office, Tshisekedi asked Moscow to "support the implementation of Security Council resolutions as well as mediation efforts". He said: "Our choice is that of a lasting peace."

Reports differ on timing: one says the appeal was made in a speech on Thursday, another that he asked Putin on Friday at the end of the summit.

The Kremlin said delegations from 48 African countries attended, 22 of them led by their heads of state, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. Rwanda was represented by Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva, one report says.

Background to the dispute

UN Security Council Resolution 2773, adopted on 21 February 2025, condemns Rwanda for alleged support of the M23 rebel offensive in eastern DR Congo and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops. M23 has seized large areas of the east since 2021.

In December 2025, Presidents Paul Kagame and Tshisekedi signed a peace and economic agreement in Washington, witnessed by US President Donald Trump. Rwanda committed to withdrawing troops, but fighting has continued.

Rwanda's government denies involvement with M23 and says its military presence is needed for security. It wants DR Congo to neutralise the FDLR militia. UN experts say Rwandan forces remain in eastern DR Congo.

One report adds that the US Treasury sanctioned Rwanda's Defence Ministry and the Zigama Credit and Savings Society the day before the appeal, saying "Rwanda must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC."

What we do not yet know

  • Whether Putin responded or committed to any position at the Security Council.
  • Rwanda's reaction. None had been reported.
  • Which day the appeal was made, as the reports differ.
  • The US sanctions step is reported by one source only and needs a second confirmation.

Quotes in this article come from published coverage, not from the original statements.