The presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have signed the long-waited “Washington Accord” peace deal aimed at ending decades of conflict and insecurity in eastern DRC and attracting Western mining investment.
Sitting before a “Delivering Peace” backdrop at a peace institute that the Trump administration unofficially renamed after Trump, the African leaders signed and exchanged documents with the U.S. president.
Both leaders praised US President Donald Trump for his role in reaching the agreement.
“The biggest word of thanks goes to President Donald Trump. No one was asking President Trump to take up this task. Our region is far from the headlines, but when he saw the opportunity to contribute to peace, he immediately took it.” Said President Kagame.
“I would like to express a deep thanks to the President of the United States of America Donald Trump, his administration and Amercian people for the critical role they played for the rapprochement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.” Said President Felix Tshisekedi
President Donald Trump praised both the leaders for their courage as they signed onto a deal on Thursday aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening the region’s critical mineral reserves to the U.S. government and American companies.
Regional leaders, including Presidents João Lourenço of Angola, Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, William Ruto of Kenya, and Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo witnessed the signing.
Also present were the Foreign Ministers of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump announced the United States was signing bilateral agreements with the Congo and Rwanda that will unlock new opportunities for the United States to access critical minerals — deals that will benefit all three nations’ economies.
This pact will also build on a Regional Economic Integration Framework previously agreed upon that officials have said will define the terms of economic partnerships involving the three countries.
Under the Trump-backed agreement, Congo would need to crack down on an armed group opposed to M23, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) while Rwanda would need to withdraw its forces from Cong though it continues to deny its presence. Little apparent progress has been made toward either pledge since June.
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