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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on Thursday signed a U.S.-brokered agreement aimed at ending decades of violence in eastern Congo.
The signing ceremony, held in Washington, D.C., brought together Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and U.S. President Donald Trump.
"Today, we commit to stopping decades of violence and bloodshed," Trump said, calling the event the beginning of a "new era of harmony and cooperation" between the two Central African nations.
Alongside the peace initiative, the agreement includes economic provisions to grant U.S. companies access to critical mineral deposits in both countries. Eastern DRC is rich in rare earth elements essential to electric vehicle batteries and other advanced technologies.
Trump said the deal would allow U.S. firms to "take out some of the rare earth" and predicted that "everybody’s going to make a lot of money." The White House confirmed that deals on mineral extraction are being signed concurrently with the peace accord.
Although both African leaders took part in the signing ceremony, they acknowledged the symbolic nature of the agreement and adopted a cautious tone due to ongoing tensions in eastern Congo. Rwandan President Paul Kagame noted that "there will be ups and downs on the road ahead," while Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi described the accord as "the beginning of a new path, a demanding path."
The Trump administration has presented the deal as part of a broader record of conflict resolution. Since returning to office in January, President Trump has claimed to have helped end eight wars. He also highlighted that both Rwanda and the DRC are engaged in separate talks with Washington on migration-related arrangements linked to the administration’s domestic deportation policies.
The latest agreement follows a failed ceasefire deal reached in June through mediation by Qatar, a close U.S. partner. That truce quickly unraveled as both the M23 armed group and the Congolese government accused each other of violating the terms, contributing to the current surge in hostilities.
Meanwhile, the signing occurred as fresh clashes erupted in eastern DRC, where the M23 armed group—allegedly backed by Rwanda according to United Nations reports—has been advancing against Congolese government forces. Heavy fighting was reported near the towns of Kaziba and Kamanyola in South Kivu province, close to the Rwandan and Burundian borders.
"Many houses have been bombed, and there are many dead," local officials said. Sources confirmed renewed airstrikes and the build-up of M23 reinforcements, including armored vehicles, suggesting preparations to encircle Uvira, the last major town in the region not under M23 control.
Explosions were also heard across the border in Burundi, prompting Rwandan authorities to briefly close the Bugarama frontier post on Thursday. No confirmed casualty figures have yet been released.
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