By Jeffery Kazembe Batts
IG: @Kazbatts
On Friday, June 27, 2025, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a U.S.-facilitated peace agreement to end the fighting between the two African nations and stimulate regional economic cooperation. President Trump sat and was flanked by VP Vance, Secretary of State Marc Rubio, Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, as they all stood at the White House ceremony.
After referencing his recent peacebuilding skills in India & Pakistan, Israel & Iran, Serbia & Kosovo, Trump proclaimed, “in the months ahead my administration will continue to work closely with all the parties in this deal and ensure the agreements are fully taken care of, and your gonna do what’s in the agreement. We’ll say – you better do what’s in the agreement. If somebody fails to do that, BAD things happen!”
Earlier this year, Rwanda-backed rebels M23 seized the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu, and two airports. This troop movement created new urgency, and Qatar sent envoys to both capitals to urge de-escalation.
Congo President Tshisekedi and Rwanda President Paul Kagame then met in Doha and established a working committee, supported by the Trump administration.
Before the White House signing inside the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda in advance of a planned July visit to Washington by the two nations’ respective heads of state.
With dozens of different armed groups, especially M23 in Congo, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, Dr. Samuel Igba explains that “over the years, there is a disconnect between the high-level peacebuilding, such as the Qatar & African Union-led processes, and the grassroots peacebuilding on the ground.”
Queens Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement “I welcome today’s announcement of a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda, which includes a prohibition of hostilities in eastern Congo and an agreement between both parties to facilitate full humanitarian access and the return of refugees and internally displaced persons.
For too long, Congolese civilians in the east have been subjected to displacement, extreme violence, sexual abuse, and intimidation by armed groups. This brutality must end immediately.’’
Exploited by many for generations, the Congo Basin is rich in vital minerals such as cobalt, copper, diamonds, gold, tantalum, and tin, which are necessary for various industries, including electric vehicles. 70% of the world’s cobalt is mined in this part of Africa. Millions have died in what some consider the world’s most deadly conflict area since World War 2.
According to reporter Hariana Veras, the only accredited African-based reporter to the White House who participated in the ceremony, President Tshisekedi is “very thankful for Trump’s involvement and the Congolese people are now hopeful.”
To many, the Trump administration and the U.S. government’s overt focus on assisting in peacebuilding and economic integration in the “heart of Africa” is a welcome, serious, yet curious development in world affairs.