In a ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo. The signing took place despite immediate reports of renewed clashes between the Congolese army and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the conflict zone.
U.S. President Donald Trump presided over the event, praising DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame for moving to settle the protracted war. A senior U.S. administration official stated the initiative came directly from President Trump, who “immediately” took the opportunity to contribute to peace efforts in a region that often remains “far from the headlines.”
Alongside the peace framework, a separate economic agreement was signed, granting Washington and U.S. companies access to the DRC’s critical mineral reserves.
In his remarks, President Tshisekedi called the day “the beginning of a new path,” while acknowledging it would be difficult. He pledged his government would play its part “with dignity” and remain “watchful, vigilant, but not pessimistic.”
The pact is the result of months of diplomacy by the United States with partners including the African Union and Qatar. A significant complication is that the M23 rebel group, implicated in the ongoing violence, is not bound by the terms of the new agreement.