The United States is pushing for a peace deal requiring Rwanda to withdraw its troops from eastern Congo before an agreement is signed, a condition likely to provoke Kigali, which views Congo-based armed groups as an existential threat.
According to Reuters, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is engaged in talks aimed at ending conflict in eastern Congo and facilitating billions of dollars in Western investment in the region, which is rich in minerals such as tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium.
Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, stated in May that Washington aims to finalize a peace deal “within about two months”—an ambitious timeline for a conflict rooted in the Rwandan genocide more than 30 years ago.
A draft agreement seen by Reuters stipulates that Rwanda must withdraw its troops, weapons, and equipment from Congo before the deal can be signed. Four diplomatic sources confirmed its authenticity, stating it was authored by U.S. officials.
The draft goes beyond the principles outlined in an April agreement signed by the two countries’ foreign ministers and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which committed both sides to addressing security concerns while respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Analysts and diplomats told Reuters that Rwanda has deployed between 7,000 and 12,000 soldiers to eastern Congo in support of M23 rebels, who seized the region’s two largest cities in a rapid offensive. Rwanda, however, denies supplying arms or troops to M23, arguing that its forces are acting in self-defense against Congo’s army and ethnic Hutu militias linked to the 1994 genocide.
As of last week, Rwanda had not responded to the U.S.-drafted agreement, two sources told Reuters. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe stated that experts from both countries would meet in Washington to discuss the deal.
The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While Rwanda continues to describe the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda as a serious security threat, analysts argue the group no longer poses a significant danger.
The draft agreement also requires Congo to allow M23 rebels to participate in a national dialogue “on equal footing with other DRC non-state armed groups”—a notable concession for Kinshasa, which regards M23 as a terrorist organization and Rwandan proxy.
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