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4mo ago

Congo and Rwanda Submit Draft Peace Proposals as U.S. Pushes for Accord

The draft proposals mark progress in U.S.-led efforts to resolve eastern Congo’s conflict, though rebel advances and economic negotiations complicate the path to peace.

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Congolese police officers patrol on their pick-up truck near the Historical monument of Butembo at an intersection of streets in Butembo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/File Photo
U.S. President Donald Trump's Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos addresses a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda April 8, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana/File Photo
FILE - Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosts a signing ceremony in which Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, left, and Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, right, pledge to work toward a peace deal on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Overview

  • Congo and Rwanda have submitted draft peace proposals under a U.S.-led initiative aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo and unlocking major Western investment.
  • The draft proposals, submitted by a May 2 deadline, have not yet been consolidated, and neither government has publicly confirmed the submission details.
  • The U.S. plans for Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet with Congolese and Rwandan officials in mid-May to finalize a peace accord tied to bilateral economic agreements.
  • The final peace agreement hinges on securing U.S. and Western investment in Congo’s mineral-rich regions and infrastructure, with potential benefits for Rwanda’s mineral processing sector.
  • Despite diplomatic progress, Rwandan-backed M23 rebels continue their advances, recently capturing Lunyasenge, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and raising tensions in the region.