The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a peace deal in Washington that was mediated by the United States to end the conflict that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year. The deal could potentially grant lucrative mineral access to the US.
The talks brokered by the US President Donald Trump aims to attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.
Addressing the foreign ministers of both countries at the White House, Trump said that “Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity, harmony, prosperity and peace,” reported AP.
The deal states that the armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo will be "disengaged, disarmed and conditionally integrated.” The two African countries' foreign ministers signed the agreement pledging to implement a 2024 deal that would remove Rwandan troops from eastern Congo within 90 days, reported Reuters.
"They were going at it for many years, and with machetes - it is one of the worst, one of the worst wars that anyone has ever seen. And I just happened to have somebody that was able to get it settled," Trump said.
"We're getting, for the United States, a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo as part of it. They're so honored to be here. They never thought they'd be coming,” he added.
Decades of conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels took control of large parts of eastern DR Congo including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports. The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group is the strongest armed group in the conflict.
