Latest news with #M23
The Herald Scotland
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump basks in another peace deal, this one in eastern Africa
"First time in many years, they're going to have peace. It's a big deal," Trump said at a June 27 news conference. Rubio will host a signing ceremony between Democratic Republic of the Congo Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe at the Department of State immediately beforehand on June 27. The seizure of large parts of eastern Congo by the M23 rebel group has killed more than 7,000 people this year alone and displaced more than 450,000 others. The area is home to the DRC's valuable mineral deposits. The U.N. Security Council called on Rwanda to end its support for the rebels in a February resolution that urged the two countries to reengage in diplomatic talks. Rwanda denies backing the rebels. The Biden administration sought to resolve the conflict but was unable to secure a deal before the one-term president left office. Trump's administration hopes the resolution will bring about an end to a broader conflict that has resulted in the displacement of more than 7 million people. Conflict in eastern Congo over in the three decades since the Rwandan genocide has led to an estimated 6 million deaths. More than 18,000 Congolese refugees resettled in the U.S., in 2023, according to the Department of Homeland Security. It was the leading country of nationality for refugees accepted by the United States that year and over the preceding decade. State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Piggott said at a June 26 briefing the signing is a "significant milestone" but "peace on paper must be matched by implementation on the ground." The State Department spokesman said the agreement includes respect for territorial integrity, a prohibition of hostilities, disarmament, the return of refugees and internally displaced persons and a regional economic framework. Congolese refugees in America: They fled genocide, hoping to find safety in America. They found apathy. The deal is central to the administration's approach to conflict reduction around the globe. By enabling and facilitating economic investment in war-torn countries such the DRC and Ukraine, the Trump administration hopes it can unlock lasting peace agreements. "A durable peace in the Great Lakes region will open the door for greater U.S. and broader Western investment, which will bring about economic opportunities and prosperity," Rubio said on April 25 as he announced the framework agreement. "It's, as they call it, a win-win for everyone involved." Businessman Massad Boulos, the administration's senior advisor for Africa and father-in-law of the president's younger daughter, Tiffany Trump, is working to secure a critical minerals deal with the DRC that could billions in U.S. investment to the country. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has substantial reserves of gold, cobalt, and high-grade copper that have been inaccessible due to the security risks and underdeveloped infrastructure, the International Trade Administration says. Cobalt is used to make the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that are used in electric vehicles, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
The South African
an hour ago
- Business
- The South African
Can peace hold? Rwanda and DRC deal to end regional conflict
A peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was signed in Washington on 27 June 2025. With diplomatic support from allies in the region, the United States and Qatar helped to broker the deal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the event at the State Department in Washington, DC. Furthermore, the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group did not sign the accord but remains central to the continued peaceful dialogue in Doha. In addition, within 90 days, both countries agreed to implement a disengagement plan for 2024. The agreement includes a framework for regional economic integration as well as a framework for cooperative security. According to the agreement, Rwanda has ninety days to withdraw its troops from the east of the DRC. As a result, DRC will mandate an operational strategy for the neutralisation of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), provided Rwanda removes its defensive measures. The deal makes it easier for the Congolese government and M23 representatives to negotiate in Qatar. Within 30 days, a cooperative security oversight body will proceed to guarantee compliance. Enhancing regional trade in vital minerals like cobalt and lithium is another goal of the agreement. The United States will have access to mineral rights in the DRC, according to President Donald Trump. Rwanda's foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, described the deal as 'a turning point' for the area. The DRC's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, stressed the importance of justice and sovereignty. The agreement could allow for billions of dollars in Western investment in the region, according to U.S. officials. Over seven million people are displaced in the east of the DRC, and the agreement included a commitment to protect and advance humanitarian access for those affected. Within a few weeks, heads of state will be concluding a comprehensive economic protocol in Washington. Before the endorsement of the economic framework commences, progress in the Doha negotiations is considered a crucial priority. The peace deal includes procedures for verifying the disarmament of militias and the withdrawal of the army from the region. Trump's Africa advisor, Massad Boulos, affirmed the United States' involvement in facilitating the minerals deal. Regional analysts and experts, including Michelle Gavin of the Council on Foreign Relations, expressed concern that the deal does not adequately address M23's territorial gains. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. Germany hailed the "excellent news" and called for implementation. French President Emmanuel Macron also praised the "historic step forward," adding that "peace must hold." 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. sct/jgc/acb/tjx/sco
Yahoo
2 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.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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 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 earlier 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, in an uncharacteristic expression of modesty, 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. Bintu Keita, a senior UN official in the DRC, said it "marks a decisive step toward peace and stability," while Germany hailed the "excellent news" and called for implementation. French President Emmanual Macron also praised the "historic step forward," adding that "peace must hold." 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. sct/jgc/acb
