Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and DR Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi arrived in Washington today to endorse a US-brokered peace agreement alongside President Donald Trump, positioning the United States as the venue to tackle one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts in eastern DR Congo.
Building on a June preliminary deal and a November framework, the leaders aim to formalize commitments on troop withdrawals, militia disarmament, and economic cooperation, even as M23 rebel advances displaced over 100,000 people last month alone.
US diplomats describe today’s gathering as the “final push” following African-led efforts like Angola’s Luanda Process and Kenya’s Nairobi Talks, which faltered amid mutual accusations: Rwanda of supporting M23, Kinshasa of harboring FDLR fighters.
Trump emphasizes American mineral interests, promising investment in Congo’s cobalt production (70% of the global supply) and Rwanda’s processing capacity to “de-risk” supply chains for EVs and technology. Leaders from Burundi and Kenya join to signal regional backing, though parallel Qatar-M23 discussions reveal lingering diplomatic fractures.
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