Latest news with #Kigali
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DR Congo, Rwanda sign peace deal in ‘turning point' after years of conflict
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have signed a peace deal in the United States to end years of fighting between the neighbouring countries. Meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Friday, foreign ministers from the two African countries signed the agreement that was mediated by the US and Qatar. The deal would see Kinshasa and Kigali launching a regional economic integration framework within 90 days and forming a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days. Under its terms, thousands of Rwandan soldiers are to withdraw from the DRC within three months. It raises hopes for an end to fighting that has escalated with the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the DRC's mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu this year. The conflict has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more since January. The escalation is just the latest in a decades-old cycle of tensions and violence, rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. 'This moment has been long in coming. It will not erase the pain, but it can begin to restore what conflict has robbed many women, men and children of safety, dignity and a sense of future,' said Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner. 'So now our work truly begins,' she added at the signing, saying the agreement would have to be followed by 'disengagement, justice, and the return of displaced families, and the return of refugees, both to the DRC and Rwanda'. 'Those who have suffered the most are watching. They are expecting this agreement to be respected, and we cannot fail them,' she Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said that the agreement heralded a 'turning point'. While Rwanda denies accusations it is backing M23, Kigali has demanded an end to another armed group in the DRC – the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – which was established by Hutus linked to the killings of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. During the signing, he insisted on 'an irreversible and verifiable end' to the DRC's 'support' for the FDLR. The agreement calls for the 'neutralisation' of the FDLR. Reporting from Goma, the capital of the DRC's North Kivu province, Al Jazeera's Alain Uaykani said the deal was a 'big step', but there was 'confusion' on the ground over the absence of any mention of when the M23 rebels would withdraw. 'Rwanda [is] always saying that they are not the ones who should ask M23 to leave, because this is a Congolese problem,' he said, adding that the rebels were appointing governors and controlling airports in the DRC's provinces of North and South Kivu, whose capital cities they seized in January and February. Kinshasa, the United Nations and Western powers say Rwanda is supporting M23 by sending troops and arms. The deal does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 but calls for Rwanda to end 'defensive measures' it has taken. Rwanda has sent at least a few thousand soldiers over the border in support of M23, according to UN experts, analysts and DRC-Rwanda deal will also help the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals like tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium needed for much of the world's technology at a time when the US and China are actively competing for influence in Africa. Ahead of the signing on Friday, US President Donald Trump said, '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.' Welcoming the foreign ministers to the White House, he said: 'The violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity. This is a wonderful day.' The DRC sits on vast untapped reserves of mineral wealth, estimated to be worth around $24 trillion. It has said it is losing around $1bn worth of minerals in illegal trading facilitated by the war. The agreement was mediated through Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, who was appointed by the president as a senior advisor on Africa. 'This is an important moment after 30 years of war,' said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the two foreign ministers at the Department of State for the signing of the agreement. 'It's about allowing people to live. It's about allowing people to now have dreams and hopes for a better life, for prosperity, for economic opportunity, for a family reunification, for all the things that make life worth living. 'Those things become impossible when there's war and when there's conflict,' he added. Analysts see the deal as a major turning point but do not believe it will quickly end the fighting that has killed millions of people since the 1990s.
Arab News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Rwanda, Congo sign peace deal in US to end fighting, attract investment
WASHINGTON/PARIS/KINSHASA: Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a US-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 US 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. At a ceremony with US 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 neighbors. Economic deals Boulos told Reuters in May that Washington wanted the peace agreement and accompanying minerals deals to be signed simultaneously this summer. 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-defense 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 specializes in Africa's Great Lakes region. Similar formulas have been attempted before, Stearns added, and 'it will be up to the US, 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 US and US 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.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
DR Congo, Rwanda sign peace deal in ‘turning point' after years of conflict
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have signed a peace deal in Washington, DC, to end years of fighting between the neighbouring countries. Meeting in the White House in the United States on Friday, foreign ministers from the two African countries signed an agreement brokered by the US and Qatar. The deal would see Kinshasa and Kigali launching a regional economic integration framework within 90 days and forming a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days. Under its terms, thousands of Rwandan soldiers are to withdraw from the DRC within three months. It raises hopes for an end to fighting that has escalated with the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the DRC's mineral-rich provinces of North and South Kivu this year. The conflict has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more since January. The escalation is just the latest in a decades-old cycle of tensions and violence, rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. 'This moment has been long in coming. It will not erase the pain, but it can begin to restore what conflict has robbed many women, men and children of safety, dignity and a sense of future,' said Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner. 'So now our work truly begins,' she added at the signing, saying the agreement would have to be followed by 'disengagement, justice, and the return of displaced families, and the return of refugees, both to the DRC and Rwanda'. 'Those who have suffered the most are watching. They are expecting this agreement to be respected, and we cannot fail them,' she said. M23 and FDLR Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said that the agreement heralded a 'turning point'. While Rwanda denies accusations it is backing M23, Kigali has demanded an end to another armed group in the DRC – the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) – which was established by Hutus linked to the killings of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide. During the signing, he insisted on 'an irreversible and verifiable end' to the DRC's 'support' for the FDLR. The agreement calls for the 'neutralisation' of the FDLR. Reporting from Goma, the capital of the DRC's North Kivu province, Al Jazeera's Alain Uaykani said the deal was a 'big step', but there was 'confusion' on the ground over the absence of any mention of when the M23 rebels would withdraw. 'Rwanda [is] always saying that they are not the ones who should ask M23 to leave, because this is a Congolese problem,' he said, adding that the rebels were appointing governors and controlling airports in the DRC's provinces of North and South Kivu, whose capital cities they seized in January and February. Kinshasa, the United Nations and Western powers say Rwanda is supporting M23 by sending troops and arms. The deal does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 but calls for Rwanda to end 'defensive measures' it has taken. Rwanda has sent at least a few thousand soldiers over the border in support of M23, according to UN experts, analysts and diplomats. Critical minerals The DRC-Rwanda deal will also help the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals like tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium needed for much of the world's technology at a time when the US and China are actively competing for influence in Africa. On Friday, US President Trump said, '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.' The DRC sits on vast untapped reserves of mineral wealth, estimated to be worth around $24 trillion. It has said it is losing around $1bn worth of minerals in illegal trading facilitated by the war. The agreement was mediated through Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and father-in-law of Trump's daughter Tiffany, who was appointed by the president as a senior advisor on Africa. 'This is an important moment after 30 years of war,' said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the two foreign ministers at the Department of State in Washington for the signing of the agreement. 'It's about allowing people to live. It's about allowing people to now have dreams and hopes for a better life, for prosperity, for economic opportunity, for a family reunification, for all the things that make life worth living. 'Those things become impossible when there's war and when there's conflict,' he added. Analysts see the deal as a major turning point but do not believe it will quickly end the fighting that has killed millions of people since the 1990s.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congo drops demand for immediate Rwandan troop pullout, sources say
By Sonia Rolley (Reuters) -Congolese negotiators have dropped a demand that Rwandan troops immediately leave eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, paving the way for a U.S.-brokered peace agreement to be signed between the longtime foes on Friday, four sources told Reuters. 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. Rwanda has long denied providing arms and troops to M23 and says it is acting in self-defence. Congolese and Rwandan officials are expected to sign a peace deal in Washington on Friday following a diplomatic push by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to end years of conflict with roots in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. The agreement also aims to attract Western investment to the two countries' mining sectors, which boast deposits of tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium, while giving the U.S. access to critical minerals. Sources told Reuters earlier this month that Washington was pushing for Rwanda to withdraw its troops before the deal's signing, a pre-condition that was also included in a U.S.-prepared draft authenticated by diplomats. But that timeline was certain to face resistance from Rwanda. Kigali considers Congo-based armed groups an existential threat, particularly the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the genocide. Three sources told Reuters that the new version of the agreement aims to obtain the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern Congo over several months, while two of them said the withdrawal would be conditioned on operations against the FDLR. The sources - three diplomats and a Congolese official - asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told Reuters on Thursday that under the agreement the "lifting of defensive measures in our border area" would be contingent upon the FDLR's "neutralisation". Congo's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A State Department spokesperson said it did not comment on ongoing diplomatic negotiations. It remains unclear how far the agreement to be signed on Friday will advance beyond a declaration of principles agreed in April. Technical experts from the two countries initialed a draft peace agreement last week, saying it addressed issues related to territorial integrity, "a prohibition of hostilities" and the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups. It also referred to a mechanism agreed as part of an earlier Angolan-backed peace effort to monitor and verify the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers and Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR. (Additional reporting by Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Editing by Joe Bavier)
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Congo drops demand for immediate Rwandan troop pullout, sources say
June 26 (Reuters) - Congolese negotiators have dropped a demand that Rwandan troops immediately leave eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, paving the way for a U.S.-brokered peace agreement to be signed between the longtime foes on Friday, four sources told Reuters. 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. Rwanda has long denied providing arms and troops to M23 and says it is acting in self-defence. Congolese and Rwandan officials are expected to sign a peace deal in Washington on Friday following a diplomatic push by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to end years of conflict with roots in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. The agreement also aims to attract Western investment to the two countries' mining sectors, which boast deposits of tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium, while giving the U.S. access to critical minerals. Sources told Reuters earlier this month that Washington was pushing for Rwanda to withdraw its troops before the deal's signing, a pre-condition that was also included in a U.S.-prepared draft authenticated by diplomats. But that timeline was certain to face resistance from Rwanda. Kigali considers Congo-based armed groups an existential threat, particularly the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which includes remnants of Rwanda's former army and militias that carried out the genocide. Three sources told Reuters that the new version of the agreement aims to obtain the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern Congo over several months, while two of them said the withdrawal would be conditioned on operations against the FDLR. The sources - three diplomats and a Congolese official - asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the talks. Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told Reuters on Thursday that under the agreement the "lifting of defensive measures in our border area" would be contingent upon the FDLR's "neutralisation". Congo's government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A State Department spokesperson said it did not comment on ongoing diplomatic negotiations. It remains unclear how far the agreement to be signed on Friday will advance beyond a declaration of principles agreed in April. Technical experts from the two countries initialed a draft peace agreement last week, saying it addressed issues related to territorial integrity, "a prohibition of hostilities" and the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups. It also referred to a mechanism agreed as part of an earlier Angolan-backed peace effort to monitor and verify the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers and Congolese military operations targeting the FDLR.
