'Never taking sides': Trump oversees Congo-Rwanda peace deal in Washington

The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a peace deal on Thursday aimed at ending years of conflict in the region at a summit hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington.

The ceremony took place amid a recent surge in fighting in eastern DR Congo between government forces and M23 rebels, who are believed to have Rwandan support. DR Congo’s army accused the rebels of trying to "sabotage" the peace process, while M23 claimed the army had launched an offensive in breach of a ceasefire. Earlier this year, the rebels seized large areas of eastern DR Congo, causing thousands of deaths and forcing many civilians from their homes.


At the start of the event at the newly-renamed Donald J Trump Institute of Peace, Trump called the signing a "great day" for Africa and the world. "I have a lot of confidence in both leaders," he said. "We'll keep these commitments. I know they're going to keep them and follow through on the agreement and create a much brighter future for the people of their countries."

DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame endorsed the deal. Other African leaders in attendance included officials from Kenya, Angola, Burundi, Togo, and Uganda. Trump also invited US secretary of state Marco Rubio, along with foreign ministers from Qatar and the UAE, according to the BBC.

Kagame praised Trump as an "even-handed" leader who is "never taking sides." He also called Trump's approach pragmatic, giving the region "the clearest and most viable path forward that we have ever had."

Meanwhile, Tshisekedi expressed "deep gratitude and clear hope" and that he expects Rwanda to "respect the letter and spirit of the deal."

The US has been spearheading talks with the hope that resolving tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda will pave the way for economic investment in the resource-rich region. Trump said the US will send "some of our biggest and greatest companies over to the two countries" and extract valuable minerals, promising that "everybody's going to make a lot of money."