A Rwanda-DRC diplomatic clash over scuffle at first lady’s quarters in Washington DC hotel is complicating already cold relations between the two neighboring East African nations.
On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, an incident involving Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) first lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi in a Washington DC hotel has led to some war of words between Kigali and Kinshasa with each country blaming the other.
There is no evidence suggesting that First lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi was harmed in the incident. Nyakeru was in the US at the invitation of Melania Trump, according to Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya.
Embassies of Rwanda and DR Congo have issued conflicting different reports on what exactly happened and who is responsible.
WHAT RWANDA SAYS
In what it termed a clarification of incident Washington DC hotel, the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in the United States of America said “an unarmed member of the security detail of a Rwandan VIP staying in a Washington DC hotel inadvertently encountered security agents of a DRC delegation in a hotel hallway accessible to all guests.”
Adding that “both delegations were staying at the same hotel,” the embassy claimed that DRC security agents blocked a Rwandan from an elevator.
The Rwandan delegation changed hotels after the incident, which involved harassment, according to the Rwandan embassy in the US.
“he Rwandan detail member was briefly restrained from accessing the elevator by the DRC security agents, which was inappropriate and wrong behavior in a common area, but the matter was eventually resolved without further escalation,” the embassy said.
“Following this incident, the Rwandan party made a decision to change hotels, but were harassed and filmed by unknown persons as they checked out and departed. Despite this provocation, the Rwandan team was restrained and professional at all times, and carefully avoided any confrontation.”
The embassy accused Kinshasa of telling lies about the incident. “There has been gross misrepresentation of what transpired, including blatant dishonesty by the DRC Minister of Information in a press conference last night [March 24],” the embassy noted. “These contemptible lies should be disregarded and condemned.”
WHAT DR CONGO SAYS
The embassy of The Democratic Republic of Congo in USA described the incident as “an attempted intrusion by Rwandan nationals into the quarters of the First Lady of the DRC,” adding that those who were trying to intrude were “intercepted and prevented by the security detail in place.”
The embassy further described the incident as a “serious breach of security,” adding that the occurrence “cannot be downplayed or reduced to a mere misunderstanding.”
“This serious breach of security involving a high-ranking Congolese figure present in the United States at the invitation of her American counterpart was immediately reported to the competent authorities, who have been seized to shed full light on these events,” the embassy’s statement read.
“Given the circumstances, this incident cannot be downplayed or reduced to a mere misunderstanding. It occurs within a context where documented behaviors of certain state actors regarding extraterritorial actions and the targeting of individuals demand the utmost vigilance and a rigorous assessment of the facts. We commend the responsiveness of the local authorities.”
The DRC and Rwanda are struggling to implement terms of the Washington Accords, a peace agreement brokered by the US last year in December with the aim of putting to an end decades of conflict between the two neighbors.
Donald Trump’s US government recently slapped sanctions and visa restrictions against the top Rwandan military and government officials, leaving President Paul Kagame to admit that Rwanda faces an impossible choice. (See Details Here, There and Over There).
Kagame has previously warned Congolese president Felix Tshisekedi that he would destroy himself if he dares to attack Rwanda, as reported Here.
