RWANDA AND DR CONGO REACH HISTORIC DRAFT PEACE AGREEMENT AS YEARS OF WAR COULD END

A breakthrough in decades of hostilities between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appears within reach, as officials from both nations have initiated a landmark draft peace agreement in Washington. Mediated by the United States and Qatar, the accord proposes a comprehensive roadmap to peace, including the disengagement and disarmament of armed groups, conditional integration into state security forces, and a joint security mechanism to prevent future conflict.
The deal, forged after three days of high-level dialogue involving political, security, and economic stakeholders, was initiated on Wednesday and is slated for formal signing next Friday. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to witness the event.
The peace process gained momentum after a preliminary agreement in April committed both countries to respecting sovereignty and crafting a peace plan. The urgency intensified following the seizure of strategic towns like Goma and Bukavu by the M23 rebel group—widely believed to be supported by Rwanda, although Kigali denies this.
The M23 offensive, displacing hundreds of thousands and killing thousands, reignited regional instability in the mineral-rich eastern DRC. Kinshasa responded by deepening ties with Washington, reportedly offering access to critical minerals vital for electronics manufacturing.
This new agreement, if implemented, could attract billions of dollars in Western investment to a region long mired in conflict. However, analysts caution that significant questions remain about enforcement and political will—especially given the collapse of previous agreements, including two failed attempts last year under Angolan mediation.