Rwanda-DRC tensions escalate after hotel scuffle involving First Lady

Tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatened to take a new turn on Tuesday following a scuffle at a US hotel involving DRC First Lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi.

Both countries have offered contradicting accounts of the incident. 

Rwandan authorities dismissed DRC’s claims that its security agents targeted the First Lady and termed allegations as a "gross misrepresentation" amounting to "blatant dishonesty."

The strongly worded statement from the Rwandan Embassy in the US on Wednesday, followed a briefing by DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya on Tuesday night.

"The First Lady has been in the US for the past few days at the invitation of President Trump's wife for a summit. We received news of an incident that occurred at the hotel where the First Lady is staying," Muyaya said. "From the information we have, there were individuals who tried to break into the hotel."

Despite the security scare, Muyaya confirmed that the DRC First Lady was safe and that US authorities were investigating the matter.

Rwanda, however, accused DR Congo security agents of being the aggressors, alleging they locked unarmed Rwandan agents out of a shared hotel hallway despite them being booked at the same facility. Kigali described the incident as minor and said it was resolved promptly.

"The Rwandan detail member was briefly restrained from accessing the elevator by DRC security agents, which was inappropriate and wrong behaviour in a common area, but the matter was eventually resolved without further escalation," the Rwandan statement read.

Rwanda added that its delegation was subsequently "harassed and filmed by unknown persons" as they checked out and changed hotels following the confrontation. Kigali maintained that its agents acted professionally and walked away, thereby preventing further escalation.

The incident unfolded as delegations from both countries gathered in Washington DC, for mediation talks. Tensions have persisted despite the signing of the Washington Accords in December 2025, a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump and witnessed by, among others, Kenyan President William Ruto.

The DRC has said it is prepared to honour the agreement on condition that Rwanda fully withdraws its troops from occupied areas in the country's east. 

"We have signed the Washington Accords, which we are working on. We will honour our commitments to the end," Muyaya said.

Complicating matters further, the US sanctioned the Rwandan military and some of its officials on March 2 for allegedly backing M23 rebels against the DRC government, a move Kigali has since condemned as "unjust".

Muyaya confirmed that talks between the two nations took place in Washington last week and hinted that further decisions could be announced in the coming days.

Nyakeru travelled to the US at the invitation of US First Lady Melania Trump to attend a summit, the State confirmed.