Overview
- Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed the Washington agreement in a ceremony presided over by President Donald Trump.
- The accord outlines a ceasefire and disarmament program, a regional economic framework to trace minerals, and separate U.S. deals with both countries on exploitation of critical resources.
- U.S. aims include securing access to coltan, cobalt, copper and lithium and redirecting supply chains now dominated by Chinese firms; the DRC supplies about 76% of global cobalt.
- Intense clashes continued Friday near Kamanyola in South Kivu between the M23 and the Congolese army supported by pro‑Kinshasa militias, with local sources reporting heavy‑weapons fire and civilians sheltering indoors.
- The M23 is not a party to the Washington deal, separate talks in Qatar produced a July declaration and a November roadmap, and core preconditions remain unresolved as Kinshasa demands a Rwandan withdrawal and Kigali insists on neutralizing the FDLR.