Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi pledged to honour the accord, while acknowledging that the road ahead would be “challenging.”
Washington DC (US), December 5, 2025, BNN Web Staff: In a significant diplomatic breakthrough, US President Donald Trump hosted the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday to sign a Washington-mediated peace agreement aimed at ending three decades of conflict in the region.
The deal also paves the way for American companies to access Central Africa’s vast reserves of critical minerals.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi pledged to honour the accord, while acknowledging that the road ahead would be “challenging.”
Calling the moment historic, Trump said, “It is an amazing day — a great day for Africa, a great day for the world, and for these two countries. They have so much to be proud of.”
The final treaty follows a preliminary agreement inked in June. However, clashes have continued, with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently taking control of key Congolese cities, including Goma and Bukavu.
Trump emphasised that the deal would enable US companies to enter the region and tap into its rare-earth minerals — resources critical for global technology supply chains.
“There’s tremendous wealth in that beautiful earth,” he remarked. “We’ll be sending our biggest companies to both countries. We’re going to extract rare earths and other resources, and everyone is going to benefit.”
Eastern Congo is home to major deposits of gold, tin, tungsten, and tantalum, while the DRC remains the world’s largest cobalt producer and a key source of copper.
President Kagame noted that the success or failure of the pact rests solely with both nations:
“If this agreement falters, the responsibility will not lie with President Trump, but with us. There will be ups and downs, but Rwanda will not be found wanting.”
Tshisekedi echoed similar sentiments, describing the deal as “the beginning of a new path — difficult but transformative.”
The decades-long conflict in eastern Congo stems from the fallout of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, which killed nearly a million people.
The influx of Hutu militants into Congo triggered security tensions that have continued to haunt the region. Rwanda accuses the DRC of harbouring hostile groups like the FDLR, while Congo has long claimed Kigali supports rebel outfits such as M23.
