The United States brings together the foreign ministers of the two countries and expresses an interest in the investment in the east rich in RDC minerals.
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC) have agreed to write a peace agreement before May 2, committing to respect the sovereignty of the other and refrain from providing military support to armed groups.
The Foreign Minister of the Dysurous Republic, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, and her counterpart Ruanda, Olivier Nduhungyarehe, signed the agreement at a tense meeting in Washington, DC, on Friday, in which the two did not shake hands.
The agreement, part of the diplomatic efforts to end violence in the east of the RDC, occurred two days after Qatar negotiated an unexpected truce among African nations.
The United States brought together the foreign ministers of the two countries and expressed an interest in investment in the turbulent but rich in RDC minerals, where the fight between the forces of the RDC and the M23 rebels has intensified since January. The M23 has captured key cities in the east in a campaign that has left thousands of dead.
The experts in the United States and the United Nations say that M23 is supported by Rwanda, who has repeatedly denied the position, saying that he is defending his safety against the hostile militias that operate in the RDC, including the remains of the group led by Hutu behind the 1994 genocide.
The joint statement of Friday, signed in front of the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, promised that the two parties would stop military support to non -state armed groups, thought Avoid appointed M23 directly.
Later, Wagner said the agreement amounted to a commitment for Rwanda forces to withdraw, as described in a resolution of the UN Security Council.
“The good news is that there is hope for peace. True news: peace must win and require seriousness, transparency and sincerity,” he said.
Nduhungyarehe said that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, had made a “real change in conversation” in the RDC, even drawing a link to efforts to expand the investment of the US private sector.
Rubio described the agreement as a “mutual benefit”, a suggestion that could unlock the greatest investment backed by the United States in energy and mining areas where China already has a significant influence. A new American envoy to Africa, Massad Boulos, recently visited both nations and urged Kigali to stop supporting M23 and get troops.
Since 2021, the two parties have agreed at least six trucus that then collapsed. The last episode of violence since January has killed Miles and has generated fears of a broader regional war.
The analyst Martin Ziakwau Lembisa believes that the pressure of the United States pushed both governments towards diplomacy.
“If it were to the M23, they would have further advanced,” he told the AFP news agency. “But to what extent Americans will really get involved is the whole question.”
