According to sources familiar with the draft, the United States is pushing a peace deal that would require Rwanda to remove its troops from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) before a final agreement could be signed. Kigali, which views armed groups in Congo as a direct threat to its national security, is likely to be incensed by this requirement. Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the plan is a component of a larger US initiative to secure peace in the resource-rich area and attract billions of dollars in Western investment. Large deposits of cobalt, copper, tantalum, gold, and lithium—minerals essential to the world’s green energy transition—can be found in the Eastern Congo.
Rwanda resists terms of draft agreement
Rwanda must remove its troops, weapons, and equipment from Congolese territory before signing the peace agreement, according to a draft of the agreement obtained by Reuters. The paper, which was written by US officials and has been verified as legitimate by four diplomatic sources, expands on a previous declaration of principles that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of both nations signed in April. Both parties agreed in that previous declaration to address their security issues while upholding territorial integrity and sovereignty. According to two diplomatic sources, Rwanda has not yet formally responded to the new draft, which dramatically escalates the stakes, as of last week. Delegations from both nations will meet in Washington this week to resume talks on the deal, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told Reuters.
Congo accuses Rwanda of delays
Rwanda was accused of stalling by a high-ranking official in President Felix Tshisekedi’s office. “We will not compromise,” the official told Reuters, “and we demand the complete withdrawal of Rwandan troops as a precondition for signing the agreement.” According to analysts and diplomats, Rwanda has sent between 7,000 and 12,000 troops to eastern Congo to aid the M23 rebel organisation, which earlier this year made a swift advance and took control of many important cities. Kigali claims that any presence is solely for self-defence against Hutu groups connected to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and has denied providing M23 with weapons or troops.
Security mechanism and M23 dialogue included
In order to handle challenges, such as the ongoing existence of Hutu militias in Congo, the US-drafted accord suggests creating a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism with Rwandan and international observers. Rwanda continues to use the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) as an excuse for cross-border operations, despite analysts’ assessments that they now pose minimal threat. Importantly, given that Congo sees M23 as a terrorist organisation with connections to Rwanda, the agreement also recommends Kinshasa permit the M23 group to engage in a national discourse “on equal footing” with other non-state armed actors.
The document also states that Rwanda ‘shall take all possible measures’ to ensure M23 withdraws from territory under its control, aligning with conditions outlined in a separate framework negotiated in Doha.
Qatar hosts parallel M23 talks
Although there hasn’t been much movement, Congo and M23 have been holding direct discussions in Qatar. According to a person with knowledge of those talks, both parties have looked over a draft proposal and will confer with their respective leaders before meeting again. Little progress has been achieved on the main demand of the M23’s complete territory withdrawal, a rebel representative told Reuters. Washington’s ambitious deadline, which calls for a signed settlement within two months, is uncertain given the growing pressure and the region’s history of violent conflict cycles, but diplomats maintain that the US is committed to seeing the negotiations through to completion.
