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3d ago

Congo and Rwanda Sign US-Brokered Peace Deal to End Eastern Conflict

The absence of M23 leaders from the ceremony raises doubts about enforcing ceasefire commitments.

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FILE PHOTO: Members of the M23 rebel group mount their vehicles after the opening ceremony of Caisse Generale d'epargne du Congo in Goma, North Kivu province in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo
Residents listen to Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), during his visit to North Kivu's town of Buhumba, Democratic republic of the Congo, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
A Congolese civilian pushes a Tshukudu (a wooden bike used for transporting goods) as they flee near the Congolese border with Rwanda after fightings broke out in Kibumba, outside Goma in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Djaffar Sabiti/File photo

Overview

  • Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda foreign ministers signed the agreement in Washington under US mediation to halt decades of fighting.
  • The accord mandates the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from eastern Congo within 90 days and the creation of a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days.
  • It prohibits hostilities, calls for disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups, but the M23 rebel leaders did not endorse the pact.
  • The deal outlines a regional economic integration framework aimed at drawing Western investment into eastern Congo’s mineral sector, offering US companies access to key resources.
  • Critics including Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege warn the deal risks legitimizing aggression, facilitates resource exploitation and overlooks justice for victims.