Rwanda, DRC to Sign US brokered Peace Accord in Washington

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are set to sign a US-brokered peace agreement in Washington this week in a renewed push to end years of conflict that have destabilised eastern Congo and strained relations between the two neighbours.

The deal, reached after months of US-led diplomacy, will be witnessed by US President Donald Trump and a number of African leaders, including Kenya’s President William Ruto, who has been invited to attend the signing ceremony.

The agreement is expected to commit both countries to de-escalation, respect for each other’s territorial integrity and renewed security coordination along their volatile border.

It also includes provisions aimed at the withdrawal of foreign forces, the disarmament of armed groups and the creation of mechanisms to prevent further cross-border attacks.

Eastern Congo has been gripped by renewed violence over the past two years, driven largely by fighting between the Congolese army and a range of armed groups, including the M23 rebels, whom Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing.

Kigali has denied supporting the group, saying its main concern is the presence of hostile militias operating from Congolese territory, including fighters linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The fighting has seen entire towns and strategic areas fall into rebel hands, forcing waves of displacement and triggering a growing humanitarian crisis.

Key commercial centres in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces have been repeatedly cut off by clashes, while thousands of civilians have been killed or forced to flee their homes.

Trump’s administration stepped in after a series of regional and international efforts failed to secure a lasting truce.

Initiatives led by the African Union, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community produced temporary ceasefires and fragile commitments, but fighting repeatedly resumed amid deep mistrust and a lack of enforcement mechanisms.

Kenya, under President Ruto, played an earlier mediating role through regional processes that deployed East African troops to eastern Congo, but the mission struggled to stabilise the region and was eventually scaled down after criticism from the Congolese government.

Analysts say the Washington agreement represents one of the strongest diplomatic pushes yet to end the conflict, backed by direct involvement from the White House and promises of international support for reconstruction and economic cooperation in the mineral-rich region.

However, they caution that implementation will be key. Previous accords collapsed due to violations on the ground, rivalries among armed groups and competing regional interests.

For millions of Congolese caught in one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts, the signing in Washington offers a rare moment of hope — even as uncertainty lingers over whether both sides will fully honour the commitments made on paper.

gandae@businessdayafrica.org