Trump eyes mineral wealth as Rwanda and DRC sign controversial peace deal in US
Source: The Guardian
Trump eyes mineral wealth as Rwanda and DRC sign controversial peace deal in US
Agreement aims to end decades-old conflict rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide but critics have described it as vague and opaque
Carlos Mureithi in Nairobi and agencies
Fri 27 Jun 2025 20.37 BST
First published on Fri 27 Jun 2025 12.59 BST
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have signed a peace deal in Washington to end fighting in eastern DRC, although questions remain over what the agreement means and who stands to benefit with Donald Trump using the occasion to boast that the US had secured lucrative mineral rights.
At a ceremony with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Washington, the two African countries foreign ministers signed the agreement pledging to implement a 2024 deal that would see Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days.
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The agreement, mediated by Qatar and the US, aims to end a decades-old conflict that is rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In a major escalation this year, the M23 rebel group made a rapid territorial advance against the Congolese military and its allies in eastern DRC in fighting that killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/27/rwanda-drc-peace-deal-us-trump-m23