The presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are expected to travel to the United States this week to sign what Washington is calling a “historic peace and economic agreement.” The White House confirmed on Monday that President Donald Trump will host the two leaders for the signing ceremony on Thursday, marking the culmination of months of US and Qatar-led mediation aimed at ending the devastating conflict.
“President Trump will host the presidents of the Republic of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign the historic peace and economic agreement that he brokered,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
The upcoming deal builds on the June 2025 agreement signed in Washington by the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the DRC, an accord meant to de-escalate tensions and establish a framework for subsequent negotiations with armed groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23 movement.
But despite the diplomatic momentum, violence in eastern Congo has only intensified within recent months.
A peace process built on fragile ground
The peace trajectory began with the Washington Accord, signed on June 27, 2025 by the DRC and Rwanda with facilitation from the United States and Qatar.
On July 19, 2025, in Doha, the DRC and M23 signed a Declaration of Principles laying out a roadmap for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access to affected populations, and the restoration of state authority in rebel-held territories. The agreement raised hopes for a final peace accord by mid-August. Yet, violence surged almost immediately afterward.
August saw a wave of killings across North Kivu, revealing the deep mistrust between parties and fragmentation among rebel factions. Reports from local civil society groups and UN observers documented fresh atrocities, contradicting optimistic diplomatic announcements based on the ceasefire.
Read more: Peace deal holds no water as mass killings persist in Congo
November 2025: New framework deal in Qatar
The DRC and M23 signed another peace framework last month in Qatar, this time with Rwanda’s involvement more explicitly acknowledged. International observers hoped this signalled Kigali’s willingness to exercise leverage over the rebel movement. But even this agreement struggled to translate into stability on the ground.
December 2025: Washington peace deal
The upcoming Washington signing is being framed as a final agreement, one meant to consolidate all previous accords and tie Rwanda, the DRC, and the M23 into a single enforceable commitment.
Kenyan President William Ruto is expected to serve as the designated guarantor of the peace deal. Reports say US President Donald Trump has been working behind the scenes to host a meeting for economic cooperation and peace in the East and Central African region.
Trump’s renewed attention to the Democratic Republic of Congo must also be understood within the broader geopolitical contest over control of strategic minerals, especially cobalt and coltan, which are indispensable for the production of electric vehicles, semiconductors, advanced defense systems, and renewable energy technologies. The DRC holds a good percent of global cobalt reserves and possesses some of the largest untapped deposits of rare earths on the continent.
Can this deal succeed?
The biggest question is whether the final Washington agreement can succeed where previous deals have failed. The obstacles are formidable, including M23’s sustained military strength in North Kivu, deepening Rwanda–DRC mistrust, competing regional interests involving Uganda, Burundi, and local militias, and a worsening humanitarian crisis with more than seven million people displaced.
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