Trump to Host Summit Where DR Congo, Rwanda Presidents Sign Peace Deal Amid Fighting
Trump to Host Summit Where DR Congo, Rwanda Presidents Sign Peace Deal Amid Fighting
The signing comes as fighting continues between DR Congo government forces and the M23 rebel group in the country’s eastern provinces.
Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are set to sign a peace deal aimed at ending the long-running conflict in the region at a summit hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington.
The signing comes as fighting continues between DR Congo government forces and the M23 rebel group in the country’s eastern provinces.
Ahead of the summit, the DR Congo army accused its rivals of attempting to “sabotage” the peace process. The M23, in turn, said the army had launched an offensive in breach of a ceasefire.
Earlier this year, the M23 seized large parts of eastern DR Congo in an offensive that left thousands dead and displaced many more. DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have frequently exchanged insults, each blaming the other for the conflict.
Trump previously got the two countries’ foreign ministers to sign a peace accord in June, hailing it as a “glorious triumph”. Tshisekedi and Kagame will now endorse the agreement, with leaders from Burundi, Qatar and other nations expected to attend the ceremony.
The M23 will not be present, as it is engaged in separate talks with DR Congo’s government led by Qatar. The Trump administration has been pushing the talks, aiming to resolve differences between the neighbours and open the way for increased US investment in the resource-rich region.
Rwanda denies supporting the M23, despite UN experts saying its army is in “de facto control of M23 operations”. The M23 earlier seized key cities including Goma and Bukavu.
In a statement, DR Congo army spokesman Gen Sylvain Ekenge said the rebels had launched a fresh offensive on Tuesday in South Kivu province. The villages targeted are about 75km (47 miles) from Uvira city, the regional government headquarters since the rebels seized Bukavu.
For its part, the M23 said the DR Congo army had launched an air and ground assault against its positions, in coordination with Burundian forces. Burundi has not commented. It has several thousand troops in eastern DR Congo supporting the government army.
Some analysts remain sceptical about the deal’s ability to bring lasting peace. Bram Verelst, a researcher at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, told the BBC there is “currently no ceasefire in place, and the M23 rebellion continues to expand and consolidate its control”.
“The signing ceremony is unlikely to alter this situation, though there is some small hope it could increase accountability on Congolese and Rwandan leaders to honour their commitments,” he said.
Rwanda says it has adopted “defensive measures” in eastern DR Congo due to the FDLR militia, which includes fighters involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Kagame insists on the disarmament of the group, while DR Congo demands the withdrawal of Rwandan troops as a condition for peace. The deal to be signed says both must happen.
Previous agreements have failed after Rwanda accused DR Congo of failing to disarm the FDLR, a major obstacle in current talks. DR Congo has also demanded that the M23 give up the territory it controls, which it has so far refused in Qatar-mediated negotiations.
Qatar and the US are co-ordinating mediation. Qatar has strong ties with Rwanda, while the US is seen as closer to DR Congo. In 2023, the US State Department estimated DR Congo’s mineral reserves at $25trn (£21.2trn), including cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and tantalum, key components for electronics, electric vehicles, wind turbines and military hardware.
“We’re getting, for the United States, a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo as part of it,” Trump said ahead of the June deal.
Prof Jason Stearns, a Canada-based political scientist specialising in the region, told the BBC that the US is pushing for an economic agreement enabling DR Congo and Rwanda to cooperate on hydro-electronic power, mining and infrastructure.
“The logic is that it will provide the peace dividend,” he said. However, DR Congo has made clear that it will not “advance on that deal until Rwandan troops have withdrawn from eastern DR Congo,” Prof Stearns added.
