Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to take "concrete steps" to support the advancement of their December 2025 peace agreement, the U.S. State Department announced on March 18. According to the State Department, these steps include Rwanda's "scheduled disengagement of forces" from eastern Congo and Congo undertaking "intensified efforts" to neutralize the extremist Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR.

The United States imposed sanctions on the Rwandan military on March 2. Rwandan officials subsequently warned that Kigali may withdraw forces battling jihadist insurgents from northern Mozambique, where U.S. oil and gas major ExxonMobil is considering a final investment decision on its proposed $30 billion Rovuma LNG project. Meanwhile, the Congolese military and the M23 have both increasingly relied on drones to attack one another.