US brings the two countries’ foreign ministers together and voices an interest in investment in the DRC’s mineral-rich east.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have agreed to draft a peace deal by May 2, committing to respect each other’s sovereignty and refraining from providing military support to armed groups.
DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and her Rwandan counterpart Olivier Nduhungirehe signed the agreement in a tense meeting in Washington, DC, on Friday, in which the two did not shake hands.
The deal, part of diplomatic efforts to end the violence in eastern DRC, came two days after Qatar brokered an unexpected truce between the African nations.
The United States brought the two countries’ foreign ministers together and voiced an interest in investment in the DRC’s turbulent but mineral-rich east, where fighting between DRC forces and M23 rebels has intensified since January. The M23 has captured key cities in the east in a campaign that has left thousands dead.
The US and the United Nations experts say M23 is backed by Rwanda, which has repeatedly denied the charge, saying it is defending its security against hostile militias operating in DRC, including remnants of the Hutu-led group behind the 1994 genocide.
Friday’s joint declaration, signed in front of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pledged the two sides would halt military support to non-state armed groups, though it avoided naming M23 directly.
Wagner later said the deal amounted to a commitment for Rwandan forces to withdraw, as outlined in a UN Security Council resolution.
“The good news is there is hope for peace. The real news – peace must be earned, and it will require seriousness, transparency and sincerity,” she said.
Nduhungirehe said US President Donald Trump had made a “real change in the conversation” on DRC, including by drawing a link to efforts to expand US private-sector investment.
Rubio described the agreement as a “win-win”, suggesting it could unlock major US-backed investment in energy and mining – areas where China already has significant influence. A new US envoy to Africa, Massad Boulos, recently visited both nations and urged Kigali to stop backing M23 and pull out troops.
Since 2021, the two sides have agreed to at least six truces that later collapsed. The latest bout of violence since January has killed thousands and raised fears of a wider regional war.
Analyst Martin Ziakwau Lembisa believes the US pressure pushed both governments towards diplomacy.
“If it were up to the M23, they would have advanced further,” he told AFP news agency. “But how far the Americans will really get involved is the whole question.”
