DRC Signs Peace Deal with Rwanda Brokered by US

(3 Minutes Read)

Analysts see the deal as a major turning point, but don’t believe it will quickly end the fighting. Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner invoked the millions of victims of the conflict in signing the agreement with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Friday signed a peace deal facilitated by the U.S. to help end the decades-long, deadly fighting in eastern Congo, while helping the U.S. government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “an important moment after 30 years of war.” Earlier Friday, President Donald Trump said at a news conference that he was able to broker a deal for “one of the worst wars anyone’s ever seen.”

The deal has been touted as an important step toward peace in the Central African nation of Congo, where conflict with more than 100 armed groups, the most potent backed by Rwanda, has killed millions since the 1990s. It’s also at the heart of Trump’s push to gain access to critical minerals needed for much of the world’s technology at a time when the United States and China are actively competing for influence in Africa.

Analysts see the deal as a major turning point, but don’t believe it will quickly end the fighting. Congo’s Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner invoked the millions of victims of the conflict in signing the agreement with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe. Both expressed optimism but stressed significant work still to do to end the fighting.

Nduhungirehe noted the “great deal of uncertainty” because previous agreements were not put in place. They, along with Rubio, lauded the support of the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar in facilitating the agreement, which Doha has been working on for months at the request of the U.S. and others.

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The agreement has provisions on territorial integrity, prohibition of hostilities, and the disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups. The peace deal is not likely to quickly end the conflict