Rwanda and Congo sign U.S.-brokered deal to end deadly conflict

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement, raising hopes of ending fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands this year.

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement on Friday in Washington, marking a breakthrough in efforts to end the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo that has left thousands dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes so far this year.

The deal, brokered by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, was signed at a ceremony attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Department of State. The agreement commits both countries to implement a 2024 deal under which Rwandan troops would withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days.

In addition to security measures, Kinshasa and Kigali pledged to launch a regional economic integration framework within 90 days. The U.S. hopes the agreement will also open the way for billions of dollars of Western investment in the region, which is rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals critical for global industries.

"They were going at it for many years, and with machetes – it is one of the worst, one of the worst wars that anyone has ever seen. And I just happened to have somebody that was able to get it settled," President Trump said on Friday before the deal was signed.

"We're getting, for the United States, a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo as part of it. They're so honoured to be here. They never thought they'd be coming."

Trump was scheduled to meet both countries' foreign ministers later on Friday at the White House.

Rwanda has deployed at least 7,000 troops into eastern Congo this year, according to analysts and diplomats, to support the M23 rebels who seized Congo's two largest eastern cities and lucrative mining areas in a swift offensive earlier this year.

The resurgence of M23, rooted in ethnic and political divisions dating back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has raised fears of a wider regional conflict involving Congo’s neighbours.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe described the deal as a turning point. Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner said it must be followed by disengagement.

Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, previously told Reuters that the administration wanted the peace deal and accompanying minerals agreements signed simultaneously this summer. However, Friday’s deal gives both countries three months to launch a framework to expand foreign trade and investment in critical mineral supply chains.

A source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters that another agreement focused on the economic framework would be signed later by heads of state at a separate White House event. Progress in parallel talks in Doha – involving the Congolese government and M23 rebels – is expected to be essential before finalising economic arrangements.

The agreement signed on Friday also supports the Qatar-hosted Doha talks and includes provisions to form a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days. It sets out plans to monitor and verify the withdrawal of Rwandan troops within three months.

Congolese military operations targeting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda – an armed group based in Congo that includes remnants of militias responsible for the 1994 genocide – are intended to conclude within the same period.

Reuters reported on Thursday that Congolese negotiators had dropped their demand for an immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, which cleared the way for the signing ceremony.

While Congo, the United Nations and Western powers have accused Rwanda of backing M23 with troops and weapons, Kigali has denied supporting the rebels, saying its military actions are in self-defence against Congo’s army and Hutu militias linked to the genocide.

"This is the best chance we have at a peace process for the moment despite all the challenges and flaws," said Jason Stearns, a political scientist at Simon Fraser University specialising in Africa’s Great Lakes region.

He noted that similar agreements have been attempted before, adding, "it will be up to the U.S., as they are the godfather of this deal, to make sure both sides abide by the terms."

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