Committee to examine DRC-U.S. and DRC-Rwanda bills before plenary vote

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Assembly has moved two key ratification bills to the next stage, sending measures linked to agreements with the United States and Rwanda to a joint committee for detailed review before a plenary vote, according to 7sur7.

Presented by Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the two texts place Parliament at the center of the next phase of Kinshasa’s diplomatic agenda, with lawmakers expected to scrutinize the legal scope, obligations and implementation path of both agreements before any final adoption.

The Rwanda-linked bill comes as Kinshasa and Kigali continue to work through the U.S.-backed Washington peace framework. In a joint statement issued after talks in Washington on March 17–18, 2026, the three governments said the DRC and Rwanda had agreed to concrete steps aimed at de-escalation and advancing implementation of the peace accord. See the joint statement.

The U.S.-related bill is also likely to draw close attention because Washington and Kinshasa recently confirmed a separate arrangement under which the DRC would receive some third-country deportees from the United States, a move that has already triggered public and political debate.

For the government, the committee stage now becomes the crucial next step. It is where the Assembly can test whether the texts align with the DRC’s security priorities, regional commitments and broader diplomatic strategy before lawmakers decide whether to ratify them in full.