The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda have signed what officials described as a landmark peace agreement, following decades of tension and proxy conflict in eastern Congo.
The deal was signed Friday at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., with Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe and Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner representing their governments. U.S. Secretary of State Marco A. Rubio hosted the ceremony.
President Donald Trump, who pushed for the agreement during months of closed-door diplomacy, is expected to meet with both ministers. Trump has linked the breakthrough to his broader push for global peace recognition.
“In a few short months, we’ve now achieved peace between India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, and the DRC and Rwanda,” Trump said in a statement from the Oval Office. “Today, the violence and destruction come to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope.”
Vice President JD Vance said the administration had helped bring an end to decades of bloodshed.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we’ve taken what was 30 years of killing and war… and now we’re on a pathway to peace.”
The agreement contains a wide range of provisions: mutual recognition of territorial integrity, cessation of hostilities, disarmament and integration of armed groups, the establishment of a joint monitoring body, and plans for refugee return, humanitarian access, and regional economic cooperation.
At the center of the deal is a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism. Its first major task: neutralize the FDLR — the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda — a group made up in part of those responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
“FDLR is no ordinary militia,” Nduhungirehe said. “It is the remnant of the forces which committed the Genocide… in which a million people were killed.”
“The commitment made here today is for an irreversible and verifiable end to state support for FDLR and associated militias. That is the bedrock of peace and security in our region.”
Foreign Minister Wagner called the signing a turning point.
“Thank you and congratulations indeed for this remarkable milestone, which is putting an end to 30 years of conflict and of suffering,” she said.
Rwanda and the DRC have also agreed to begin facilitating the return of refugees on both sides, with support from the UN Refugee Agency.
“Creating the conditions for the safe and dignified return of refugees is vital to achieving lasting peace,” Nduhungirehe said.
Qatar, which hosted early mediation rounds in Doha, was also acknowledged for its role. Rwanda credited Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi and the Qatari Foreign Ministry with helping to restart talks between Kinshasa and the M23/AFC rebel movement. Those talks remain ongoing.
The African Union was also represented at the ceremony, with AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat and President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo both playing key roles in the background.
The agreement takes effect immediately. Oversight will come from the joint mechanism and the African Union, with continued support from the U.S. and Qatar.
But not everyone is convinced.
Former Congolese President Joseph Kabila was sharply critical in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“They’re talking about a peace agreement… But between which belligerents, exactly?” Kabila wrote. “The DRC has never been at war with any of the states represented in this photo.”
He added: “What was signed on June 27, 2025, at the White House is nothing more than a trade agreement. Nothing more.”
“We must stop distorting the facts to mask a propaganda agenda. The Congolese people deserve the truth, not a diplomatic spectacle.”
Others voiced concern that the U.S. administration had oversimplified the conflict. Ugandan journalist and BBC Africa Daily host Alan Kasujja weighed in on social media.
“Vice President J.D. Vance stated that Rwanda and the DRC have been at war for 30 years. Really?” Kasujja wrote. “Does he know what he’s talking about? It’s clear that President Trump’s administration, like those before it, does not understand the DRC.”
