Diplomats from Congo and Rwanda inscribe a tentative peace accord in Washington, D.C.
Peacemaking Pact Between Congo and Rwanda
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Shaking hands across the aisle, delegates from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda inked a preliminary peace accord, as declared by a joint press release from both nations and the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. The historic agreement aims to quell three decades of strife that escalated in January, when the M23 rebels surged and overthrew the strategic Congolese city of Goma.
Congo has pointed fingers at Rwanda for backing the M23 insurgents, who, as reported by the United Nations experts, are propped up by approximately 4,000 troops from the neighboring nation.
The signed accord encompasses provisions like respecting territorial integrity and a ban on hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups. Both parties entered a promise to convene at a ministerial level within the week, further extending an invitation to the heads of both nations to attend.
The dance of diplomacy isn’t a new waltz for these nations; talks mediated by Qatar in April came to a grinding halt.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, a conglomerate of rebel groups, shared a candid conversation with The Associated Press in April, expressing skepticism regarding the effectiveness of international sanctions and the Congo's proposed minerals deal with the United States in the pursuit of peace. He warns that these measures would fail to quell the ongoing conflicts.
The M23 is one of around 100 armed groups competing for presence in eastern Congo near the Rwandan border. The ceaseless strife has fueled human suffering, displacing over 7 million innocents. According to a United Nations report, Congo remains embroiled in one of the world’s most calamitous humanitarian crises.
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Footnotes:
[1] Associated Press, DRC, Rwanda sign 'preparatory' peace deal to end conflict, https://apnews.com/article/c41d3b9a82e2bc54a8abc3e0e81a353b
[2] Al Jazeera, DRC, Rwanda sign peace deal to end reign of M23 rebels, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/24/drc-rwanda-sign-peace-deal-to-end-reign-of-m23-rebels
[3] Reuters, Congo and Rwanda sign peace deal to resolve three-decade conflict, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congo-rwanda-sign-peace-deal-resolve-three-decade-conflict-2025-06-24/
[4] The Guardian, M23 Rebels Capture Key Cities in Conflict-Ridden Eastern DRC, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/15/m23-rebels-capture-key-cities-congo
[5] The New York Times, U.S. and U.N. Accuse Rwanda of Supporting M23 Rebel Group, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/world/africa/rwanda-congo-us-un-m23.html
- In the middle of ongoing talks mediated by Qatar, the United States, and a joint delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the latter two nations signed a preliminary peace accord to put an end to over three decades of war and conflicts in Congo.
- As the peace deal was announced, Seattle's general news headlines also reported on the humanitarian crisis in the DRC, drawing attention to the need for political resolutions to contain the continuing strife and alleviate the suffering of millions displaced by the conflict.
