In Washington, the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement brokered by the United States and Qatar.
This is reported by the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press .
The two African countries agreed to “immediately and unconditionally end all state support for non-state armed groups” in eastern DR Congo and work towards their “disengagement, disarmament and integration.” The agreement also includes provisions on territorial integrity and a ban on hostilities.
The ceasefire is expected to open the way for Western investment and give the US access to minerals in the DR Congo.
According to the agreement, supply chains for critical minerals should “link both countries in partnership, where appropriate, with the U.S. government and American investors.”
Meanwhile, rebels from the March 23 Movement, which is fighting in eastern DR Congo, said the agreement would not be binding on them because they were not involved in the negotiations.
As a reminder, US President Donald Trump recently announced that he had managed to reach a peace agreement in “one of the worst wars anyone has ever seen,” although he admitted that he “didn't know very much” about the conflict, other than that the parties had “been fighting with machetes for many years.”
In addition, he reported that the United States “will receive a significant portion of the mineral rights from the Congo.”
According to the UN, this year alone, fighting between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army has killed more than 7,000 people and left more than half a million homeless.
The Democratic Republic of Congo asked the United States for help after Rwanda sent up to 4,000 troops to the neighboring country. Kigali claimed that it sent the troops to protect its territorial interests, not to support the rebels.
More about the conflict
The roots of the conflict go back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which more than a million people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed by the Hutu people.
Rwanda and the March 23 Movement rebel group claimed to be fighting to protect Tutsis from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a Hutu-aligned militant group.
At the same time, Rwanda denied supporting the M23 and accused the Congolese government of supporting the Hutu militia. In response, Kinshasa stated that it did not support the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.
Support
read also:
- The EU has allocated 60 million euros for DR Congo, where rebels have captured a city of two million people
- Ukraine condemns violation of Congo's territorial integrity and offers humanitarian assistance — MFA
