Overview
- President Trump presided over the signing with Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi, touting a “miracle” as both leaders cautioned that carrying out the pact will be difficult.
- UN reporting and field accounts indicate M23 holds Goma and Bukavu and is consolidating territory despite prior ceasefire declarations, with UN experts assessing a decisive Rwandan role that Kigali denies.
- Key hurdles remain unresolved, including Rwanda’s demand for a verifiable end to state support for the FDLR and Congo’s insistence that Rwandan forces withdraw first.
- Heavy clashes continue in South Kivu, where observers say Burundian troops supporting Congo’s army are helping to prevent further rebel advances.
- Kinshasa has offered the United States expanded opportunities for American companies in cobalt and lithium and potential roles in energy, roads, and tourism as part of the mediation effort.