In a bid to strengthen bilateral ties between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo met with his counterpart Denis Sassou Nguesso in Brazzaville on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

The talks covered several issues, most notably the incident in Makotipoko, a locality in the Republic of Congo near Yumbi in the Mai-Ndombe province of western DRC, which pitted elements of the two countries’ armed forces against each other.

Both heads of state reaffirmed the importance of preserving the fraternal and good-neighbourly ties between their nations.

President Tshisekedi sought to calm tensions, stressing that the peoples of Kinshasa and Brazzaville are one and the same. “I brought along my interior and defence ministers so they can work together to prevent such incidents in the future. We are one people, we share the same culture. We are meant to live together,” the head of state said.

He also announced his intention to meet with the victims of the incident soon and to launch a procedure for their compensation.

Finally, the two leaders discussed the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC, calling for strict adherence to the Washington accords.