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New Indian Express
an hour ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rwanda, DR Congo sign peace deal in US after rebel sweep
WASHINGTON: Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement Friday in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas -- and President Donald Trump boasting of securing mineral wealth. "Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity," Trump said as he welcomed the two nations' foreign ministers to the White House. "This is a wonderful day." The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal -- negotiated through Qatar since before Trump took office -- does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war but calls for Rwanda to end "defensive measures" it has taken. Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The agreement calls for the "neutralization" of the FDLR, with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe saying the "irreversible and verifiable end to state support" to the Hutu militants should be the "first order of business." The process would be "accompanied by a lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures," Nduhungirehe said at a signing ceremony at the State Department. But he added: "We must acknowledge that there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region, and beyond, because many previous agreements have not been implemented." His Congolese counterpart, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, highlighted the agreement's call for respecting state sovereignty. "It offers a rare chance to turn the page, not just with words but with real change on the ground. Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear," she said. The agreement also sets up a joint security coordination body to monitor progress and calls vaguely for a "regional economic integration framework" within three months.
Bangkok Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Rwanda and DR Congo sign peace deal in US
WASHINGTON - Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement on Friday in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas — and President Donald Trump boasting of securing mineral wealth. 'Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity,' Trump said as he welcomed the two nations' foreign ministers to the White House. 'This is a wonderful day.' The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal — negotiated through Qatar since before Trump took office — does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war but calls for Rwanda to end 'defensive measures' it has taken. Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The agreement calls for the 'neutralisation' of the FDLR, with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe saying the 'irreversible and verifiable end to state support' to the Hutu militants should be the 'first order of business.' The process would be 'accompanied by a lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures,' Nduhungirehe said at a signing ceremony at the State Department. But he added: 'We must acknowledge that there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region, and beyond, because many previous agreements have not been implemented.' His Congolese counterpart, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, highlighted the agreement's call for respecting state sovereignty. 'It offers a rare chance to turn the page, not just with words but with real change on the ground. Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear,' she said. The agreement also sets up a joint security coordination body to monitor progress and calls vaguely for a 'regional economic integration framework' within three months. Trump takes credit Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal, and started his White House event by bringing up a journalist who said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking to reporters earlier Friday, Trump said the United States will be able to secure 'a lot of mineral rights from the Congo.' The DRC has enormous mineral reserves that include lithium and cobalt, vital in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies, with US rival China now a key player in securing the resources. Trump said he had been unfamiliar with the conflict as he appeared to allude to the horrors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Tutsis, were killed in just 100 days. 'I'm a little out of my league on that one because I didn't know too much about it. I knew one thing — they were going at it for many years with machetes,' Trump said. The agreement drew wide but not universal praise. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the deal 'a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability' in the eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region. 'I urge the parties to honour in full the commitments they have undertaken in the Peace Agreement… including the cessation of hostilities and all other agreed measures,' Guterres said in a statement. The landmark agreement was also praised by the chairman of the African Union Commission. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who witnessed the signing of the deal in Washington, 'welcomed this significant milestone and commended all efforts aimed at advancing peace, stability, & reconciliation in the region,' a statement said. But Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the DRC's epidemic of sexual violence in war, voiced alarm about the agreement, saying it effectively benefited Rwanda and the United States. The deal 'would amount to granting a reward for aggression, legitimising the plundering of Congolese natural resources, and forcing the victim to alienate their national heritage by sacrificing justice in order to ensure a precarious and fragile peace,' he said in a statement ahead of the signing. Physicians for Human Rights, which has worked in the DRC, welcomed the de-escalation but said the agreement had 'major omissions', including accountability for rights violations.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DR Congo and Rwanda sign long-awaited peace deal in Washington
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. The deal demands the "disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration" of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo. 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. "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. 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. Ceasefire deal still faces many challenges "Another diplomatic success for President Félix Tshisekedi - certainly the most important in over 30 years," said the Congolese president's office, ahead of the 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. When tensions between the two countries escalated at the beginning of this year, Qatar intensified de-escalation efforts, according to a diplomat briefed on the negotiations. Qatar sent envoys to both capitals to urge de-escalation, and after the Congolese and Rwandan presidents met in Doha, a joint committee was established, supported by the US, the diplomat added. What's the fighting in DR Congo all about? The evidence that shows Rwanda is backing rebels in DR Congo Your phone, a rare metal and the war in DR Congo 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 are a 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. Congolese rebels want peaceful solution to crisis, UN says Ex-DR Congo president returns from self-imposed exile, party says DR Congo conflict tests China's diplomatic balancing act How DR Congo's Tutsis become foreigners in their own country 'They took all the women here': Rape survivors recall horror of DR Congo jailbreak Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Rwanda and Congo sign peace deal in US after rebel sweep
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement yesterday in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas - and President Donald Trump boasting of securing mineral wealth. "Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity," Ms Trump said as he welcomed the two nations' foreign ministers to the White House. "This is a wonderful day." The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the Congo this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal - negotiated through Qatar since before Mr Trump took office - does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war but calls for Rwanda to end "defensive measures" it has taken. Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The agreement calls for the "neutralization" of the FDLR, with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe saying the "irreversible and verifiable end to state support" to the Hutu militants should be the "first order of business". The process would be "accompanied by a lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures," Mr Nduhungirehe said at a signing ceremony at the State Department. But he added: "We must acknowledge that there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region, and beyond, because many previous agreements have not been implemented." His Congolese counterpart, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, highlighted the agreement's call for respecting state sovereignty. "It offers a rare chance to turn the page, not just with words but with real change on the ground. Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear," she said. The agreement also sets up a joint security coordination body to monitor progress and calls vaguely for a "regional economic integration framework" within three months. Trump takes credit Mr Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal and started his White House event by bringing up a journalist who said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mr Trump said the United States will be able to secure "a lot of mineral rights from the Congo". The Congo has enormous mineral reserves that include lithium and cobalt, vital in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies, with US rival China now a key player in securing the resources. Mr Trump said he had been unfamiliar with the conflict as he appeared to allude to the horrors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Tutsis, were killed in just 100 days. "I'm a little out of my league on that one because I didn't know too much about it. I knew one thing - they were going at it for many years with machetes," Mr Trump said. The agreement drew wide but not universal praise. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the deal "a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability" in the eastern Congo and the Great Lakes region. "I urge the parties to honour in full the commitments they have undertaken in the Peace Agreement... including the cessation of hostilities and all other agreed measures," Mr Guterres said in a statement. The landmark agreement was also praised by the chairman of the African Union Commission. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who witnessed the signing of the deal in Washington, "welcomed this significant milestone and commended all efforts aimed at advancing peace, stability, and reconciliation in the region," a statement said. But Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist who shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the Congo's epidemic of sexual violence in war, voiced alarm about the agreement, saying it effectively benefited Rwanda and the United States. The deal "would amount to granting a reward for aggression, legitimising the plundering of Congolese natural resources, and forcing the victim to alienate their national heritage by sacrificing justice in order to ensure a precarious and fragile peace," he said in a statement ahead of the signing. Physicians for Human Rights, which has worked in the Congo, welcomed the de-escalation but said the agreement had "major omissions," including accountability for rights violations.
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Rwanda, DR Congo sign peace deal in US after rebel sweep
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement Friday in Washington to end fighting that has killed thousands, with the two countries pledging to pull back support for guerrillas -- and President Donald Trump boasting of securing mineral wealth. "Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity," Trump said as he welcomed the two nations' foreign ministers to the White House. "This is a wonderful day." The agreement comes after the M23, an ethnic Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, sprinted across the mineral-rich east of the DRC this year, seizing vast territory including the key city of Goma. The deal -- negotiated through Qatar since before Trump took office -- does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war but calls for Rwanda to end "defensive measures" it has taken. Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The agreement calls for the "neutralization" of the FDLR, with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe saying the "irreversible and verifiable end to state support" to the Hutu militants should be the "first order of business." The process would be "accompanied by a lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures," Nduhungirehe said at a signing ceremony at the State Department. But he added: "We must acknowledge that there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region, and beyond, because many previous agreements have not been implemented." His Congolese counterpart, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, highlighted the agreement's call for respecting state sovereignty. "It offers a rare chance to turn the page, not just with words but with real change on the ground. Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear," she said. The agreement also sets up a joint security coordination body to monitor progress and calls vaguely for a "regional economic integration framework" within three months. - Trump takes credit - Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal, and started his White House event by bringing up a journalist who said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking to reporters earlier Friday, Trump said the United States will be able to secure "a lot of mineral rights from the Congo." The DRC has enormous mineral reserves that include lithium and cobalt, vital in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies, with US rival China now a key player in securing the resources. Trump said he had been unfamiliar with the conflict as he appeared to allude to the horrors of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Tutsis, were killed in just 100 days. "I'm a little out of my league on that one because I didn't know too much about it. I knew one thing -- they were going at it for many years with machetes," Trump said. The agreement drew wide but not universal praise. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the deal "a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability" in the eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region. "I urge the parties to honour in full the commitments they have undertaken in the Peace Agreement... including the cessation of hostilities and all other agreed measures," Guterres said in a statement. The landmark agreement was also praised by the chairman of the African Union Commission. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, who witnessed the signing of the deal in Washington, "welcomed this significant milestone and commended all efforts aimed at advancing peace, stability, & reconciliation in the region," a statement said. But Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist who shared the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the DRC's epidemic of sexual violence in war, voiced alarm about the agreement, saying it effectively benefited Rwanda and the United States. The deal "would amount to granting a reward for aggression, legitimizing the plundering of Congolese natural resources, and forcing the victim to alienate their national heritage by sacrificing justice in order to ensure a precarious and fragile peace," he said in a statement ahead of the signing. Physicians for Human Rights, which has worked in the DRC, welcomed the de-escalation but said the agreement had "major omissions," including accountability for rights violations.
