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The National
8 hours ago
- Business
- The National
DRC and Rwanda sign 'Washington Accord' peace deal
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington on Friday, ending three decades of conflict and ushering in billions in foreign investment to the region. President Donald Trump, flanked by his Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said the foreign ministers of the two countries signed the agreement in the Oval Office. "They were fighting for years, and it was machetes, it was vicious, people's heads were being chopped off," Mr Trump said at a news conference earlier on Friday. "And I have a man who's very good in that part of the world, very smart, and put them together," he said. "First time in many years, they're going to have peace. And it's a big deal." Mr Trump had enlisted the help of Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and the father-in-law of the President's daughter Tiffany. Qatar also joined in mediating the process. Born in Lebanon, Mr Boulos has ties to Africa, having lived and owned businesses in Nigeria. Last month, Mr Boulos said the DRC and Rwanda had submitted a draft peace proposal. Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr Boulos said he had first engaged with the two sides in early April, and the final agreement will be known as the Washington Accord. "There's an economic aspect as well that is extremely important for both countries," Mr Boulos said. "There would be some bilateral agreements with negotiating a mineral deal with the DRC for critical minerals - many American companies have shown interest in investing in the DRC," he said. "Same thing with Rwanda. " The agreement would bring to an end a three-decade conflict in the eastern DRC which escalated earlier this year, when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. A draft of the agreement provided by the state Department includes the disengagement of Rwandan forces and the voluntary repatriation of refugees. It also called for the monthly rotating meetings between DRC and Rwanda, with the US and Qatar attending as observers. Another joint meeting was to be held in Washington within 45 days. The fighting has killed about 3,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of others. The DRC, United Nations and the US have long accused Rwanda of providing weapons and training to the M23 rebels. Rwanda denies supporting M23, and says its forces are acting in self-defence against the Congolese army and Hutu militias linked to the Rwandan genocide of ethnic Tutsis in 1994. The conflict is fuelled by the rich mineral resources in eastern Congo. The DRC is the world's largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. The country also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves. M23 and Rwanda are accused of exploiting these resources. On Thursday, Reuters reported that the DRC had dropped its demand for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan troops, paving the way for the peace deal. Physicians for human rights, an organisation that has worked in the DRC for more than a decade, said the agreement does not ensure that hostilities would not resume through proxy armed groups, and has no reparations component. "We welcome any dialogue and de-escalation in the devastating conflict in eastern DRC, but it is important to note that the new agreement between Rwanda and DRC contains major omissions and does not adequately safeguard civilians in the region," Sam Zarifi, executive director said in a statement on Friday. "There can be no durable peace without meaningful justice. But the agreement signed today sidelines human rights and fails survivors," he said. The economic incentives involved remain unclear as Mr Trump seeks to compete with China in investing in the region's abundant mineral wealth. Mr Trump said it included the US getting "mineral rights" from the Congo. The draft agreement said it would shut down 'illicit economic pathways' and instead "formalise and audit" cross-border mineral trade.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rwanda and DR Congo agree draft peace deal to end conflict
Officials from 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. 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. However, analysts say that many questions still remain about the contents of the peace deal. The US State Department said technical teams had initialled the draft text on Wednesday, ahead of a formal signing ceremony next Friday to be witnessed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In a statement, it said the deal was reached during three days of "constructive dialogue regarding political, security, and economic interests" between officials of the two countries in Washington. The latest draft agreement builds on a previous accord signed earlier, it added. In late April, Rwanda and DR Congo signed an agreement in Washington, promising to respect each other's sovereignty and come up with a draft peace deal within days. 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 The decades-long conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels - widely believed to be backed by Rwanda - seized swathes of mineral-rich territory in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda denies supporting the M23, insisting its military presence in the region is a defensive measure against threats posed by armed groups like the FDLR - a rebel group composed largely of ethnic Hutus linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The M23 captured Goma in late January, followed by the city of Bukavu, and has since set up governing structures in the regions under its control. Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes in recent months following the rebel offensive. The questions which are yet to be answered in the draft agreement include: 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 arms? Would the agreed humanitarian access allow the reopening of the Goma airport for aid supply? Following the loss of territory, the government in Kinshasa turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals. Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to global electronics industries. Peace deals between the two countries have unravelled in the past. Last year, Rwandan and Congolese experts reached an agreement twice under Angolan mediation on the withdrawal of Rwandan troops and joint operations against FDLR - but ministers from both countries failed to endorse the deal. Angola eventually stepped down as a mediator in March. Additional reporting from Emery Makumeno in Kinshasa 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
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rwanda, DRC initial peace agreement ahead of signing next week
By Daphne Psaledakis, Ange Kasongo and Anait Miridzhanian WASHINGTON/KINSHASA/DAKAR (Reuters) -Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo technical teams initialed a draft peace agreement that is expected to be signed next week, the two countries and the United States said on Wednesday, aiming for an end to fighting in eastern Congo. The provisional agreement, announced in a joint statement, could mark a breakthrough in talks held by President Donald Trump's administration to end the fighting in eastern Congo and bring billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, which is rich in minerals including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium. The provisional agreement, reached after three days of talks, addresses territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities and the disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups, according to the statement. The agreement also includes provisions on the establishment of a joint security mechanism that incorporates a proposal discussed by the parties last year under Angolan mediation. The ministerial signing of the agreement is scheduled for June 27. Rwandan and Congolese experts reached an agreement twice last year under Angola mediation on the withdrawal of Rwandan troops and joint operations against the Rwandan Hutu rebel group FDLR, but ministers from both countries failed to endorse the deal. Angola stepped down in March from its position as a mediator between the parties involved in an escalating Rwanda-backed rebel offensive in eastern Congo after several attempts to resolve the conflict. Fighting in eastern Congo escalated this year as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels staged an advance that saw it seize the region's two largest cities, raising fears of a wider conflict. Congo says 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 that killed around 1 million people, mostly ethnic Tutsis.
Bloomberg
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
US Says Rwanda and Congo Will Sign Peace Agreement on June 27
Foreign Ministers from Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo will sign a peace agreement June 27 in an attempt to end conflicts between the two nations that have persisted for decades, the US State Department said Wednesday. The joint announcement came after three days of meetings in Washington with technical teams from both countries mediated by the US and observed by officials from Qatar, the State Department said.
