DR Congo | Rwanda and Congo sign peace agreement

Following the signing of a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, hopes for greater stability are growing throughout the region. US President Donald Trump, whose country brokered the agreement, spoke of a "new chapter of hope." UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the "important step toward de-escalation, peace, and stability" in the region. The African Union expressed hope for "reconciliation" in the eastern part of the continent on Saturday.

The agreement was signed on Friday in Washington by Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe and his Congolese counterpart Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Both countries committed to ending their support for armed militias.

"Today the violence and destruction end," declared US President Trump. "A new chapter of hope and opportunity, of harmony, prosperity, and peace, begins throughout the region." Trump also emphasized that by mediating the conflict, the US had secured the prospect of "many" Congolese natural resources.

The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin had already praised the agreement on Friday in the online service X as an "important step toward peace" in the region. Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan (SPD) stated on Saturday, "the signing of the new peace agreement is an important step toward a more peaceful future for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and the entire region."

The Rwandan-backed M23 militia had seized large areas of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since January, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu . The Congolese government accused Rwanda of directly supporting the M23 militia with troops and of seeking to exploit the natural resources of its eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. Rwanda denied this and, in turn, accused the Congolese government of supporting the FLDR rebel group.

According to the UN, thousands of people were killed in the conflict. In April, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo surprisingly agreed to a ceasefire and promised a peace deal mediated by Qatar, the United States, and the African Union. The now-signed agreement does not explicitly mention the M23 militia. However, Rwanda is called upon to end its "defensive measures." The agreement also calls for the "neutralization" of the FDLR. AFP/nd