Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will sign on Friday in Washington a US-facilitated peace deal that promises to bring an end to decades of violent conflict displacing hundreds of thousands in the resource-rich area.
The pact is a significant development in talks negotiated by US President Donald Trump’s administration. The accord is designed to stop fighting and lay the ground for significant Western investment in a richly mineralic region that is home to cobalt, tantalum, copper, and lithium.
Under the US State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers to a formal signing ceremony. A White House meeting with President Trump will precede it. Another deal aimed at regional economic integration is also set to be inked in a different White House ceremony by the heads of state, subject to further developments in parallel Doha negotiations between the DRC government and the M23 rebel movement.
The peace agreement is said to involve promises of respecting sovereignty over territory, cessation of hostilities, and the disarmament and conditional integration of rebel forces. It also puts in place a verification process for the Rwandan forces’ withdrawal within three months as per a previous Angola-brokered proposal.
Under the deal, Congolese operations against Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) are also to be completed within that period. The FDLR consists of leftover militia who were behind Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.
Diplomatic officials indicate that Congo recently suspended its call for an immediate Rwandan withdrawal, relaxing the principal source of tension. Rwanda, which has deployed thousands of soldiers into eastern Congo, denies backing M23 rebels, insisting its military deployment is a reaction to Congo-based Hutu militia threats.
The peace agreement is viewed as a key milestone toward regional stability and long-term economic growth.
