A team of Congolese lawyers have filed a case in court challenging the legality of a partnership agreement signed between the US and DRC on December 4.
The Congolese lawyers and human rights defenders, alongside NGOs, said on Wednesday that they have petitioned the Constitutional Court to annul the strategic partnership agreement signed with the United States on December 4, 2025.
The team alleges that the agreement which focuses on critical minerals including; cobalt, copper, and zinc, as well as strategic infrastructure; violates key constitutional provisions, including sovereignty over natural resources, prohibitions on alienating sovereignty outside of African unity efforts, and requirements for parliamentary or referendum approval for treaties involving territorial or resource exchanges.
The agreement being challenged calls for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the eastern DRC allegedly deployed there and for the Congolese government to end its support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia.
It also aims to set up a regional economic integration framework between the two countries based on the critical minerals trade, which will involve the United States.
The March 23 Movement (M23), is not a party to the agreement but in separate negotiations with the Kinshasa government taking place in Doha, Qatar.
Despite the fact that DRC had signed a ceasefire and a declaration of principles with M23, it was followed by repeated violations and both sides accusing each other of breaking the ceasefire.
A deadline in August last year to sign a final peace deal with M23 was missed.
The economic section of the Washington Accords was also delayed because the peace terms had not been achieved.
