Washington D.C., USA — The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a historic U.S.-brokered peace and economic cooperation agreement, reaffirming commitments first outlined in June 2025. The accord, announced in Washington, aims to de-escalate regional tensions and strengthen coordinated economic development between the two neighbouring nations.
U.S. officials described the deal as the product of *“months of intensive diplomacy,”* linking long-term stability in eastern Congo to improved access to critical minerals essential for global technology supply chains.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame endorsed the peace accord alongside a Regional Economic Integration Framework negotiated last November. The pact covers security cooperation, cross-border development planning, and alignment of policies in the mineral sector—an area long affected by competition, smuggling, and conflict.
Washington confirmed that additional agreements on critical minerals and security partnership were also concluded in parallel with the main peace framework.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, fighting intensified in South Kivu during the signing ceremony. Heavy clashes erupted between **M23 rebels** and the Congolese army, highlighting the fragility of the peace effort.
Rebel groups accused government forces of bombing civilian areas, while Kinshasa officials claimed the violence was “proof that Rwanda doesn’t want peace.” The M23, reportedly backed by Rwanda according to United Nations experts, is not included in the agreement and therefore not bound by its terms.
Officials in Washington underscored that securing peace in eastern Congo is essential for stabilizing supply lines for **tantalum, tin, tungsten, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium minerals critical to electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy production.
The U.S. president emphasized America’s intent to support investments worth billions of dollars, noting that U.S. companies “will participate directly in extraction agreements.”
Addressing public concerns, President Tshisekedi’s spokesperson insisted that the D.R. Congo “retains full sovereignty over its minerals and territory,” denying claims of foreign resource control. She described the accord as a “historic opportunity” to end decades of bloodshed in the east, where conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Analysts warned that signatures alone will not silence guns on the frontline. Civil society groups in Congo expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of domestic consultation, arguing that parliament was bypassed and that the pact does not address past atrocities, including the killing of more than 3,000 people in Goma earlier this year.
U.S. officials described the deal as the product of *“months of intensive diplomacy,”* linking long-term stability in eastern Congo to improved access to critical minerals essential for global technology supply chains.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame endorsed the peace accord alongside a Regional Economic Integration Framework negotiated last November. The pact covers security cooperation, cross-border development planning, and alignment of policies in the mineral sector—an area long affected by competition, smuggling, and conflict.
Washington confirmed that additional agreements on critical minerals and security partnership were also concluded in parallel with the main peace framework.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, fighting intensified in South Kivu during the signing ceremony. Heavy clashes erupted between **M23 rebels** and the Congolese army, highlighting the fragility of the peace effort.
Rebel groups accused government forces of bombing civilian areas, while Kinshasa officials claimed the violence was “proof that Rwanda doesn’t want peace.” The M23, reportedly backed by Rwanda according to United Nations experts, is not included in the agreement and therefore not bound by its terms.
Officials in Washington underscored that securing peace in eastern Congo is essential for stabilizing supply lines for **tantalum, tin, tungsten, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium minerals critical to electronics, electric vehicles and renewable energy production.
The U.S. president emphasized America’s intent to support investments worth billions of dollars, noting that U.S. companies “will participate directly in extraction agreements.”
Addressing public concerns, President Tshisekedi’s spokesperson insisted that the D.R. Congo “retains full sovereignty over its minerals and territory,” denying claims of foreign resource control. She described the accord as a “historic opportunity” to end decades of bloodshed in the east, where conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions.
Analysts warned that signatures alone will not silence guns on the frontline. Civil society groups in Congo expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of domestic consultation, arguing that parliament was bypassed and that the pact does not address past atrocities, including the killing of more than 3,000 people in Goma earlier this year.
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