The US is actively pushing for a peace accord between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, with the aim of having both sign an agreement at the White House within two months, Reuters reported on Thursday evening.
The initiative, led by US President Donald Trump’s senior Africa advisor Massad Boulos, is designed to accompany the bilateral minerals pacts being ironed out with both nations, which would see billions of dollars of Western investments in the region.
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“The (agreement) with the DRC is at a much bigger scale, because it’s a much bigger country and it has much more resources, but Rwanda also has a lot of resources and capacities and potential in the area of mining as well,” Boulos told Reuters.
DRC is currently the world’s largest cobalt producer and the leading copper producer in Africa. The country also produces nearly 70% of the world’s tantalum, extracted from coltan. Its eastern provinces hold significant reserves of tin, tungsten and additional coltan deposits.
For decades, Congo has been at odds with the neighbouring Rwanda due to ethnic tensions and control over the region’s natural resources. The conflict escalated earlier this year when the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels attacked and seized control over parts of eastern Congo, including the strategic mining hub of Walikale.
As part of the US peace mediation process, both African nations are expected to submit separate drafts of a peace agreement on Friday, with meeting scheduled in mid-May involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda to finalize the accord, according to Reuters.
For the peace agreement to succeed, Boulos said several key security concerns must be addressed: Rwanda must withdraw its troops and cease support for the M23 rebels, while the DRC must address Rwandan concerns with militias like the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
A multinational oversight committee, including the US, Qatar, France and Togo, is monitoring the progress of the peace deal, Boulos added.
Sea_Student_1452 on May 3rd, 2025 at 23:33 UTC »
So become a protectorate?
Wanderingson2112 on May 3rd, 2025 at 22:56 UTC »
There is no way Kagame and the Rwandan leadership would sign in good faith. Having a buffer zone in the eastern DRC is something they've always wanted, alongside seizing control of the mining operations in the Kivu provinces. I could see them possibly signing, and then reneging at a later point.
Unless we are willing to put boots on the ground in the DRC, which I find highly unlikely, the Rwandans and M23 will hold the edge on the battlefield.
From the DRC perspective, having kicked out virtually all the other peacekeepers you could call on and having the remainder (SADC) get trounced at Goma, I can see how using other forms of leverage would be good against Rwanda. Overall the people of the Kivu's deserve peace, and the citizens of the DRC deserve to not get attacked by their neighbors (I'm looking at you too Uganda).
However, if there is no means of enforcement, nothing will happen.
colepercy120 on May 3rd, 2025 at 22:04 UTC »
Submission statement: the united states is pushing to end the Congo-Rwanda war within 2 months. Coinciding with the signing of a deal between the Congo and the United States. establishing the United states as the protector of the Congo with military deployments to maintain the country, in exchange for control over the countries mineral rights. The process is being overseen by France, Qutar, and Togo. The peace treaty is expected to see Rwanda withdraw from the area and The Congo make internal reforms to address Rwandas concerns.