Congo and Rwanda presidents sign peace deal in Washington

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan Paul Kagame signed a US-brokered peace deal on Thursday evening in Washington aimed at bringing peace between the two countries and ending the decades-old bloody conflict in eastern Congo.

In a speech on the occasion, US President Donald Trump said the agreement aims to stop the bloodshed and start a new era of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

Trump added that many administrations have tried to bring peace between the two sides, but perhaps not made a great effort, and that his administration has succeeded where many have failed, noting that this is the eighth war he has ended in less than a year.

Millions of people have been tragically killed, countless people have been displaced from their homes, and families have been destroyed, and it was a disaster in every sense of the word as a result of the war in eastern Congo.

On the other hand, he announced the signing of bilateral agreements with Congo and Rwanda, which will provide new opportunities for the United States to access rare minerals and provide economic benefits for all.

He said Washington would send some of its largest and greatest companies to the two countries to extract minerals from the land, and everyone would make huge profits.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Trump contributed to the peace agreement with Congo after our region was out of the limelight.

Kagame added that there had been attempts to mediate over 30 years to resolve the conflict with Congo to no avail, but President Trump has introduced a new dynamic for peace.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said the agreement with Rwanda brings peace and prosperity, stressing a commitment to implement its provisions.

Tshisekedi called the agreement a turning point and hailed the beginning of a new path, while warning of the difficulties that could face its implementation.

The agreement includes three main aspects, the first of which is the cessation of hostilities, with the establishment of a disarmament program, the process of the return of displaced persons, and justice measures against those responsible for the atrocities.

The second relates to a framework for regional economic integration, and the third relates to the conclusion of bilateral agreements between the United States and Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the exploitation of strategic minerals necessary for high-tech industries.

The signing of the agreement today comes more than 5 months after the foreign ministers of Congo and Rwanda signed an agreement with Trump on peace between Kinshasa and Kigali.

It also comes less than three weeks after the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement in Doha with the M23 movement, which is active in eastern Congolese.

On the eve of the signing, battles broke out in the South Kivu province in eastern Congo, between the M23 armed group and the Congolese army.

The region has been witnessing ongoing conflicts for three decades, and renewed violence since last January, with the M23 taking control of the cities of Goma and Bukavu.

Rwanda asserts that its national security is threatened by armed groups, especially the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda (FDLR), which are linked to Hutu fighters involved in the 1994 genocide in eastern Congo, while Congo asserts that its security is threatened by the M23, which is backed by Kigali.