Rwanda, Congo Ink Deal in US to End Fighting, Attract Investment

Agreement Marks a Breakthrough in Talks Held by Trump's Administration

- 

WASHINGTON/PARIS/KINSHASA Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a US-brokered peace agreement on June 27, raising hopes for an end to fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more in 2025.

The agreement marks a breakthrough in talks held by US President Donald Trump's administration and aims to attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.

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 DRC within 90 days, according to a version initialled by technical teams last week and seen by Reuters.

Kinshasa and Kigali will also launch a regional economic integration framework within 90 days, the agreement said.

"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," Mr. Trump said on June 27, ahead of the signing of the deal in Washington.

"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."

Mr. Trump had been due to meet the foreign ministers in the Oval Office on June 27.