DR Congo and Rwanda sign long-awaited peace deal in Washington
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Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign long-awaited peace deal in Washington
Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign long-awaited peace deal in Washington. The deal demands the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo. It could see the US granted with mineral access, but details are scant. Previous peace deals in the region have failed – yet that has not deterred the U.S. and Congolese presidents from referring to the signing as a generational victory. The recent rebel offensive has resulted in thousands killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes. It escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of easternDR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports. The government in Kinshasa turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees. It denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence, and insists its military presence is a defensive measure against threats posed by armed groups like the FDLR.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, stands with Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, left, and Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, right. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein). Picture: Alamy
By Alice Brooker
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed a peace deal in Washington aimed at ending decades of conflict between the two neighbours.
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The newly-signed peace deal demands the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo, and could see the US granted with mineral access.
Further details are scant and previous peace deals in the region have failed – yet that has not deterred the US and Congolese presidents from referring to the signing as a generational victory.
“This is a great day for Africa and… a great day for the world!” wrote President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform last week when an initial agreement was reached.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio, center, speaks as Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, left, and Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, right, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein). Picture: Alamy
“Another diplomatic success for President Félix Tshisekedi – certainly the most important in over 30 years,” said the Congolese president’s office ahead of Friday’s signing, external.
The deal was signed by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers at the US State Department.
There has been talk of Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been fixed.
Decades of conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of eastern DR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports.
Former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and police officers who allegedly surrendered to M23 rebels arrive in Goma, Congo, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, file). Picture: Alamy
The recent rebel offensive has resulted in thousands killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes.
After the loss of territory, the government in Kinshasa turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees.
Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to the global electronics industries.
Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence, according to reports, and insists its military presence in the region is a defensive measure against threats posed by armed groups like the FDLR – a rebel militia composed largely of ethnic Hutus linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda in turn accuses the Congolese government of backing the FDLR, which is denied by DR Congo.
Their presence is of utmost concern to Kigali.
When some information about the deal was released last week, external, a statement spoke of “provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities”, but there were no specifics.
It also talked about the “facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons”.
BREAKING: President Trump confirms that the US is getting “a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo” as part of DRC-Rwanda peace deal being signed today.
He praises his senior Africa adviser Massad Boulos for getting it done pic.twitter.com/gGICzxEH39 — Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) June 27, 2025
A Reuters news agency report said that Congolese negotiators had pushed for an immediate withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers, external, but Rwanda – which has at least 7,000 troops on Congolese soil – refused, external.
In a statement a day before the deal was signed, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe condemned “the leak of a draft peace agreement” saying Rwanda had “demanded the other parties to respect the confidentiality of the discussions”.
The calls for the total withdrawal of Rwandan troops from DR Congo is major point of contention.
But Nduhungirehe said “the words ‘Rwanda Defense Force’, ‘Rwandan troops’ or ‘withdrawal’ are nowhere to be seen in the document”.
Just hours before the signing ceremony, Tshisekedi’s office said the agreement “does indeed provide for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops… [but] preferred the term disengagement to withdrawal simply because ‘disengagement’ is more comprehensive”.
Rwanda, DR-Congo peace deal reached during Washington talks
Technical teams from Rwanda and DR Congo have reached an initial text of the peace agreement. It is expected to be signed by the two countries’ ministers on June 27, according to a joint statement released after United States-mediated peace talks on Wednesday, June 18, in Washington DC. Qatar, which is leading another initiative to end the decades of conflict in eastern DR Congo, was represented at the talks as an observer. The agreement includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities. It also has provisions on the establishment of a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism that incorporates the CONOPS of October 31, 2024; facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as humanitarian access.
Technical teams from Rwanda and DR Congo have reached an initial text of the peace agreement that is expected to be signed by the two countries’ ministers on June 27, according to a joint statement released after United States-mediated peace talks on Wednesday, June 18, in Washington DC.
Qatar, which is leading another initiative to end the decades of conflict in eastern DR Congo, was represented at the talks as an observer, according to the statement published by the US Department of State.
The peace agreement was initially expected to be signed by Rwandan and DR Congo Presidents in the White House in mid-June, according to the Declaration of Principles signed by the countries’ foreign ministers on April 25.
However, the signing was delayed as the negotiators had not reached “a comprehensive, realistic and win-win peace agreement” that would be approved by the ministers before it could be inked by the Heads of States with US President Donald Trump as the witness.
Witnessed by US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, the initial text agreed upon by the technical teams on Wednesday “was developed over three days of constructive dialogue regarding political, security, and economic interests,” the joint statement read in part.
“The Agreement includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,” it continued.
The agreement also has provisions on the establishment of a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism that incorporates the CONOPS of October 31, 2024; facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as humanitarian access; and a regional economic integration framework.
Efforts to end the conflict whose causes date back 30 years ago regained momentum early this year when the AFC/M23 rebels took control of the two largest cities in eastern DR Congo, chasing a government-led coalition that includes the FDLR militia.
Rwanda has for years been concerned about the Kinshasa-backed FDLR, which was founded by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Besides launching attacks on Rwanda over the past quarter century, the UN- and US-sanctioned terrorist militia also spread genocide ideology against Congolese Tutsi communities.
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the AFC/M23 rebels, allegations the Rwandan government dismisses. Rwanda maintains that it has put in place defensive measures to prevent the FDLR threats and DR Congo’s declared intention to topple the Rwandan government from materialising.
Qatar hosted Presidents Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi in April for discussions on the conflict. The Gulf state has also mediated DR Congo-M23 negotiations since April, with the two sides agreeing on the need for a ceasefire.
Qatar participated in the US-mediated talks to “ensure complementarity and alignment between both countries’ initiatives aimed at dialogue and peace in the region.”
“[DR Congo] and Rwanda expressed their appreciation for the valuable contributions and joint efforts of the United States and Qatar as partners in advancing a peaceful resolution,” the statement said.
It added that the subsequent summit of Heads of State in Washington would “advance peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the Great Lakes region.”
DR Congo and Rwanda sign long-awaited peace deal in Washington
DR Congo and Rwanda sign long-awaited peace deal in Washington on Friday. Deal demands the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo. Details are scant and previous peace deals in the region have failed – yet that has not deterred the US and Congolese presidents from framing this as a generational victory. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes following the recent rebel offensive in the east of the country. After the loss of territory, the government in Kinshasa turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees. The deal was signed by the Congo and Rwandan foreign ministers at the US State Department. It follows a “declaration of principles” that were agreed in April and followed a series of failed peace talks in the 1990s and early 2000s in Congo and elsewhere in Africa. The U.S. president called the peace treaty “a glorious triumph” and said it was a “tremendous breakthrough”
Reporter Hariana Veras says Congolese president ‘very thankful’ to Trump
“Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity,” US President Donald Trump said on Friday.
Further details are scant and previous peace deals in the region have failed – yet that has not deterred the US and Congolese presidents from framing this as a generational victory.
The deal demands the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed a peace deal in Washington aimed at ending decades of devastating conflict between the two neighbours, and potentially granting the US lucrative mineral access.
Friday’s signing follows a “declaration of principles” that were agreed in April
Flanked by Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and delegates from DR Congo and Rwanda in the Oval Office, Trump called the peace treaty “a glorious triumph”.
“This is a tremendous breakthrough,” Trump said, shortly before adding his signature to the peace treaty signed earlier by the respective African delegates.
The deal was signed by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers at the US State Department.
“The Qataris played a vital role in securing this deal,” said an official with knowledge of the peace agreement, adding that the US and Qatar worked closely together.
“Another diplomatic success for President Félix Tshisekedi – certainly the most important in over 30 years,” said the Congolese president’s office ahead of Friday’s signing.
There has been talk of Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been fixed.
Decades of conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of eastern DR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports.
Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes following the recent rebel offensive.
After the loss of territory, the government in Kinshasa turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees. Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to the global electronics industries.
Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence, and insists its military presence in the region is a defensive measure against threats posed by armed groups like the FDLR – a rebel militia composed largely of ethnic Hutus linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda in turn accuses the Congolese government of backing the FDLR, which is denied by DR Congo. Their presence is of utmost concern to Kigali.
When some information about the deal was released last week, a statement spoke of “provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities”, but there were no specifics.
It also talked about the “facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons”.
According to a Reuters news agency report, Congolese negotiators had pushed for an immediate withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers, but Rwanda – which has at least 7,000 troops on Congolese soil – refused.
In an angry statement a day before the deal was signed, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe condemned “the leak of a draft peace agreement” saying Rwanda had “demanded the other parties to respect the confidentiality of the discussions”.
The calls for the total withdrawal of Rwandan troops from DR Congo is major point of contention.
But Nduhungirehe said “the words ‘Rwanda Defense Force’, ‘Rwandan troops’ or ‘withdrawal’ are nowhere to be seen in the document”.
Just hours before the signing ceremony, Tshisekedi’s office said the agreement “does indeed provide for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops… [but] preferred the term disengagement to withdrawal simply because ‘disengagement’ is more comprehensive”.
Unless and until full details of the signed deal are made public, several crucial questions remain unanswered:
Will the M23 rebel group withdraw from areas they have occupied?
Does “respect for territorial integrity” mean Rwanda admits having troops in eastern DR Congo and will withdraw them?
Would the agreed “return of refugees” allow thousands of Congolese back from Rwanda?
Does “disarmament” mean that the M23 will now lay down their weapons?
Who will disarm the FDLR, after the failure of several previous attempts?
Would the agreed humanitarian access allow the reopening of the rebel-held airports for aid supply?
Prior to Friday’s signing, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told Reuters news agency that the “lifting of defensive measures in our border area” would be contingent upon the FDLR’s “neutralisation”.
One of the main actors in today’s conflict – the M23 rebels – were spawned by a previous peace deal 16 years ago that failed to ensure demobilisation.
Last year, Rwandan and Congolese experts reached an agreement twice under Angolan mediation on the withdrawal of Rwandan troops and joint operations against the FDLR – but ministers from both countries failed to endorse the deal. Angola eventually stepped down as a mediator in March.
Rwanda, Congo sign peace deal in US to end fighting, attract investment
Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo sign a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Friday. The two African countries’ foreign ministers signed the agreement pledging to implement a 2024 deal that would see Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days. The agreement marks a breakthrough in talks held by President Donald Trump’s administration. It aims to attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. The gains by M23, the latest cycle in a decades-old conflict with roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, sparked fears that a wider war could draw in Congo’s neighbours, analysts and diplomats say. The deal signed on Friday gives Congo and Rwanda three months to launch a framework “to expand foreign trade and investment derived from regional critical mineral supply chains” A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday that another agreement on the framework would be signed by the. heads of state at an unspecified time at a White House event.
Rubio hosts Congolese, Rwandan ministers for signing ceremony
Trump warns of ‘severe penalties’ if deal violated
WASHINGTON/PARIS/KINSHASA, June 27 (Reuters) – Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Friday, raising hopes for an end to fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year.
The agreement marks a breakthrough in talks held by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and aims to attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.
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At a ceremony with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, the two African countries’ foreign ministers signed the agreement pledging to implement a 2024 deal that would see Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days, according to a copy seen by Reuters.
Kinshasa and Kigali will also launch a regional economic integration framework within 90 days, the agreement said.
“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,” Trump said on Friday, ahead of the signing of the deal in Washington.
“We’re getting, for the United States, a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo as part of it. They’re so honored to be here. They never thought they’d be coming.”
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe called the agreement a turning point. Congo Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner said it must be followed by disengagement.
Trump later met both officials in the Oval Office, where he presented them with letters inviting Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to Washington to sign a package of agreements that Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, dubbed the “Washington Accord”.
Nduhungirehe told Trump that past deals had not been implemented and urged Trump to stay engaged.
Trump warned of “very severe penalties, financial and otherwise”, if the agreement is violated.
Rwanda has sent at least 7,000 soldiers over the border, according to analysts and diplomats, in support of the M23 rebels , who seized eastern Congo’s two largest cities and lucrative mining areas in a lightning advance earlier this year.
The gains by M23, the latest cycle in a decades-old conflict with roots in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, sparked fears that a wider war could draw in Congo’s neighbours.
ECONOMIC DEALS
Boulos told Reuters in May that Washington wanted the peace agreement and accompanying minerals deals to be signed simultaneously this summer.
Item 1 of 3 U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance meet Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno [1/3] U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance meet Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington D.C., June 27, 2025…. Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Read more
Rubio said on Friday that heads of state would be “here in Washington in a few weeks to finalize the complete protocol and agreement.”
However, the agreement signed on Friday gives Congo and Rwanda three months to launch a framework “to expand foreign trade and investment derived from regional critical mineral supply chains”.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday that another agreement on the framework would be signed by the heads of state at a separate White House event at an unspecified time.
There is an understanding that progress in ongoing talks in Doha – a separate but parallel mediation effort with delegations from the Congolese government and M23 – is essential before the signing of the economic framework, the source said.
The agreement signed on Friday voiced “full support” for the Qatar-hosted talks.
It also says Congo and Rwanda will form a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days and implement a plan agreed last year to monitor and verify the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers within three months.
Congolese military operations targeting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Congo-based armed group that includes remnants of Rwanda’s former army and militias that carried out the 1994 genocide, are meant to conclude over the same timeframe.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Congolese negotiators had dropped an earlier demand that Rwandan troops immediately leave eastern Congo, paving the way for the signing ceremony on Friday.
Congo, the United Nations and Western powers say Rwanda is supporting M23 by sending troops and arms.
Rwanda has long denied helping M23, saying its forces are acting in self-defence against Congo’s army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, including the FDLR.
“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 in Canada who specialises in Africa’s Great Lakes region.
Similar formulas have been attempted before, Stearns added, and “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.”
The agreement signed on Friday says Rwanda and Congo will de-risk mineral supply chains and establish value chains “that link both countries, in partnership, as appropriate, with the U.S. and U.S. investors.”
The terms carry “a strategic message: securing the east also means securing investments,” said Tresor Kibangula, a political analyst at Congo’s Ebuteli research institute.
“It remains to be seen whether this economic logic will suffice” to end the fighting, he added.
Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington, Ange Adihe Kasongo in Kinshasa, Sonia Rolley in Paris, Robbie Corey-Boulet in Dakar and Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Andrew Heavens, Alison Williams, Paul Simao and Alistair Bell
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DRC, Rwanda Sign Peace Deal That Grants Washington Access To Kinshasa Mineral Resources
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring Rwanda on Friday signed a long-awaited peace deal in Washington. The deal aims to end decades of devastating conflict between the two East African countries. It also paves the way for the US to have access to high-valued mineral resources in DRC. It demands the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo. Similar efforts in the past failed. There are rumours that President Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, President Paul Kagame, are going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been fixed. The calls for the total withdrawal of Rwandan troops from DR Congo is major point of contention.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbouring Rwanda on Friday signed a long-awaited peace deal in Washington that aims to end decades of devastating conflict between the two East African countries.
The deal which also paves the way for the US to have access to high-valued mineral resources in DRC demands the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo.
“This is a great day for Africa and… a great day for the world!,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last week when an initial agreement was reached.
“Another diplomatic success for President Félix Tshisekedi – certainly the most important in over 30 years,” the DRC President’s office said ahead of Friday’s signing.
Details of the deal signed by the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers at the US State Department were not clearly stated. Similar efforts in the past failed.
There are rumours that President Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, President Paul Kagame, are going to Washington to meet Trump together, though no date has been fixed.
Decades of conflict that have their root in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda escalated earlier this year when the Kigali-backed M23 rebels seized control of large parts of eastern DR Congo, including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu, and two airports.
Thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homes following the offensive by the rebels.
After a failed attempt to decimate the rebel group, DRC turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees. Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to the global electronics industries.
Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence, and insists its military presence in the region is a defensive measure against threats posed by armed groups like the FDLR – a rebel militia composed largely of ethnic Hutus linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda, in turn, accuses the Congolese government of backing the FDLR, which is denied by DR Congo. Their presence is of utmost concern to Kigali.
In an angry statement a day before the deal was signed, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, condemned “the leak of a draft peace agreement”, saying Rwanda had “demanded the other parties to respect the confidentiality of the discussions”.
The calls for the total withdrawal of Rwandan troops from DR Congo is major point of contention. But Nduhungirehe said “the words ‘Rwanda Defence Force’, ‘Rwandan troops’ or ‘withdrawal’ are nowhere to be seen in the document”.
Hours before the signing ceremony, Tshisekedi’s office said the agreement “does indeed provide for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops… [but] preferred the term disengagement to withdrawal simply because ‘disengagement’ is more comprehensive”.
Prior to Friday’s signing, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told Reuters news agency that the “lifting of defensive measures in our border area” would be contingent upon the FDLR’s “neutralisation”.