Two African nations Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) inked a peace agreement on Friday that aims to end their devastating decades-long conflict.
As the peace deal was facilitated by the United States of America, Congolese Foreign Minister Ms. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe signed a peace agreement with the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
After the end of Rwandan genocide in 1994, Hutu extremists fled into neighboring Congo to continue their attacks on Rwanda’s Tutsis and since then they have been fighting.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have taken control of large swathes of the DRC’s eastern provinces of North and South Kivu since 2021 and captured their capitals Goma and Bukavu.
“This is an important moment after 30 years of war,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during the signing in Washington.
With the signed deal, Rwanda will withdraw its forces from eastern Congo and will launch a regional economic integration framework within 90 days.
Congolese military actions against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda would also end within 90 days.
Since fighting first broke out in the 1990s, roughly 6 million people have been killed and another 7 million displaced.
With seven million people currently displaced across the country, 27.8 million people facing food insecurity and almost 1.4 million children in acute malnutrition, the humanitarian situation is dire in DR Congo. The region is among the world’s most violent; approximately 6 million people have died due to multiple conflicts since 1996.
Alongside an estimated 6,000 M23 fighters, roughly 4,000 Rwandan troops are present in DRC.
The current population of the Republic of the Congo is 6,481,018 whereas Rwanda’s population is 14,562,578 as of Friday, June 27, 2025 based on Worldometer’s latest data.
Congo is rich in natural resources. It has one of the world’s largest coltan and cobalt reserves, deposits of industrial diamonds and contains extensive reservoirs of gold, tantalum, tin, and tungsten, all of which are essential for technology manufacturing, one of the largest forest reserves in Africa; and significant hydroelectric potential. Congolese art has also had a great impact on the work of Picasso.
Rwanda is blessed with extraordinary biodiversity, with incredible wildlife living throughout its volcanoes, montane rainforest and sweeping plains.
Speaking at the auspicious signing ceremony “I’m honored to be joined by my counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo and from Rwanda, and the hard work you both put in to make this happen. This was not easy,” said Marco Rubio.
Besides US efforts, this deal could not have happened without such close friends and partners in the African Union and in Qatar, who we’re working a lot lately with, Qatar who have been very instrumental,” Secretary Rubio added.
“This is an important moment after 30 years of war. President Trump is a president of peace. He really does want peace. He prioritizes it above all else,” Rubio lauded and added, “We saw Trump’s intervention in the conflict between India and Pakistan, Iran and Israel a dangerous war that made peace possible.”
Expressing Rwanda’s sincere appreciation to President Donald Trump for his personal engagement in facilitating this historic agreement, Republic of Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said, “Today’s peace agreement between DRC and Rwanda is the bedrock of peace that will achieve a lasting peace in the entire Africa region.”
Foreign Minister of DR Congo Ms. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said, two months ago in this very room, we signed a declaration of principles, a first tangible step to break the deadlock and chart a path towards peace.
“Today, with this peace agreement, we open a new chapter of peace that is a choice but also a responsibility to respect international law, to uphold human rights, and to protect the sovereignty of states,” the Minister added.
“As this agreement builds on the efforts of many, we want to express our sincere gratitude to President Donald J. Trump for his leadership and commitments to this peace process rooted in principle and in the dignity of our people,” said Minister adding, “We’re also grateful to the State of Qatar and to his highness the emir, whose leadership was instrumental in convening the first direct meeting between our two heads of states in March, a courageous step that laid the groundwork for dialogue. Qatar has since facilitated further talks in Doha and remained a principled and steady partner throughout this peace effort.”
(Based on various reports and State Department press release)
