RWANDA: Representatives of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have reached a draft agreement that could end decades of conflict.

The breakthrough, mediated by the US and Qatar, provides for the “disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration” of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo.

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It also includes provisions for a joint security mechanism to prevent future flare-ups. The peace deal is expected to be formally signed next week.

The deal could open the way for billions of dollars of western investment in the mineral-rich region, which been plagued by conflict for three decades.

Addis Ababa, June 19, 2025 (ENA)— DR Congo and Rwanda are anticipated to sign a peace agreement in Washington on June 27, a joint press release from the nations and the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.

The countries’ technical teams have already initiated the draft, which is expected to be formally signed in Washington next week.

Both countries have agreed to the terms of the deal aimed at ending fighting in eastern Congo.

The draft peace deal aims to end fighting in eastern Congo, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels made significant advances at the beginning of the year, capturing the strategic city of Goma and the town of Bukavu.

Congo has accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in the east of the country. U.N. experts say the rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from the neighboring nation.

The decades-long conflict escalated in January, when the M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic Congolese city of Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February.

The draft agreement includes “provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,” the joint statement said.

The agreement that will be signed also includes a commitment to respecting territorial integrity and the conditional integration of non-state armed groups.

Both countries have in the past held peace talks that have largely stalled, including talks hosted by Qatar.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda.

The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and has displaced more than 7 million people, it was learned.

USA: Hurricane Erick has strengthened into an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, as it heads towards Mexico’s Pacific coast, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.

Maximum sustained winds in the storm were near 220km/h (140mph) early on Thursday local time.

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Forecasters expect it to make landfall in the coming hours with the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero state most likely to be impacted by what the NHC says could be “devastating wind damage”.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told people in the storm’s path to “stay tuned to official communications, to stay indoors, and not go out”.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are set to sign a US-brokered peace deal in Washington next week, which aims to end the fighting in eastern DRC.

A provisional agreement, announced by the two countries and the US State Department, covers issues including disarmament, the integration of non-state armed groups and the return of refugees and internally displaced people in eastern DRC. The deal is expected to be signed on 27 June.

Eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict for decades, with armed groups competing for access to natural resources, including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium.

Congo has accused its neighbour Rwanda of backing one of the largest groups in the region, the M23 rebels. UN experts say the rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from Rwanda, an accusation that Kigali has denied.

The conflict escalated in January, when the M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic DRC city of Goma, followed by the town of Bukavu in February.

The draft agreement includes “provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups”. It also includes a commitment to respecting territorial integrity and the conditional integration of non-state armed groups.

The Trump administration has spoken of unlocking Western investment in eastern DRC, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously described the possibility of peace as a “win-win for everyone involved”.

Congo and Rwanda are not formally at war and in the past had held peace talks that have largely stalled, including some hosted by Qatar. Angola stepped down in March from its role as a mediator after several attempts to resolve the fighting in eastern DRC.

M23 is one of about 100 armed factions vying for control in the region. But unlike the others, it is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who failed to integrate into the DRC’s army.

The group says it is defending ethnic Tutsis and Congolese of Rwandan origin from discrimination, although critics say their Rwanda-backed campaign is a pretext for economic and political influence over eastern DRC.

Rwanda’s longtime President Paul Kagame accuses Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi of overlooking the concerns of the ethnic Tutsis and ignoring previous peace agreements.

Earlier this week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said that the M23 rebels, DRC military and allied armed groups had all carried out human rights abuses, some of which could amount to war crimes.

Family of Zambia’s ex-president Lungu halts return of his body

“Sadly so, that the mortal remains of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu will not return today,” family spokesperson Makebi Zulu said on Wednesday.

But the family has now stopped that plan, saying it “finds it very difficult to believe that the government will stick to their end of the agreement”.

The arrangements had been finalised and his remains were due to be flown back home on Wednesday on a private charter plane after days of uncertainty and negotiations between the family and the government.

The family of Zambia’s former President Edgar Lungu has halted the return of his body from South Africa, accusing the government of breaching key agreements over his funeral.

Mr Zulu said the government had released a draft programme of the funeral, without consultation with the family.

President Hakainde Hichilema was scheduled to receive the body upon its arrival at the airport in the capital, Lusaka.

The former president’s body was set to be taken to his residence in Lusaka where it would lie in state ahead of his state funeral on 22 June and burial the following day.

In an address from South Africa on Wednesday, Mr Zulu said the government had deviated from the agreed programme.

“It is our hope that some day, his remains will be repatriated back home and buried,” said Mr Zulu, who was surrounded by members of Lungu’s immediate family.

In a statement, the government said it remained open and committed to “re-engagement until an amicable resolution is achieved”.

“The government will continue its consultations with the family, mindful of the need to accord our late former president the honour commensurate with his office and service,” it added.

The delay marks the second time the family has refused to repatriate the body, as tensions continue to grow between it and the government over who should control the funeral arrangements.

The opposition Patriotic Front (PF), which Lungu led until his death, has supported the family’s stance and accused the government of politicising the mourning process.

Lungu, who led Zambia from 2015 to 2021, died earlier this month in South Africa where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

A 16-day national mourning period is currently in effect across Zambia.

According to his family, he had left instructions that President Hichilema, his long-standing rival, “should not come anywhere near his body”.

But this was apparently resolved after a deal that allowed for Hichilema to preside over a state funeral next Sunday.

After six years as head of state, Lungu lost the 2021 election to Hichilema by a large margin.

After that defeat he stepped back from politics but later returned to the fray.

He had ambitions to vie for the presidency again but at the end of last year the Constitutional Court barred him from running, ruling that he had already served the maximum two terms allowed by law.

Despite his disqualification from the presidential election, he remained hugely influential in Zambian politics and did not hold back in his criticism of his successor.

Last year, Lungu complained of police harassment and accused the authorities of effectively putting him under house arrest. He also said he had been prevented from leaving the country. The government denied both accusations.