Trump hosts Congo and Rwanda leaders to sign important peace deal for eastern Congo

GOMA, Congo U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host the presidents of Congo and Rwanda on Thursday to formalize an agreement aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and creating access for U.S. companies to the region's valuable mineral resources.

The White House has hailed the arrangement as a historic achievement. Known as the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, the agreement brings together Congos President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandas President Paul Kagame, following months of diplomatic efforts involving the U.S., the African Union, and Qatar. It builds on a preliminary agreement signed in June.

Eastern Congo has endured decades of violent conflict involving more than 100 armed factions, with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels among the strongest. Earlier this year, M23 captured key cities including Goma and Bukavu, intensifying an already severe humanitarian crisis and displacing millions.

Clashes between rebel forces and Congolese troops, along with allied militias, continue in the region. While Trump has frequently claimed that his mediation has ended the fighting, many Congolese residents remain skeptical, and analysts caution that Thursdays signing is unlikely to bring immediate peace. A separate agreement between Congo and M23 has also been reached, but frontline clashes persist.

We are still at war, said Amani Chibalonza Edith, a 32-year-old resident of Goma. There can be no peace as long as the front lines remain active.

The new pact also establishes a Regional Economic Integration Framework, outlining cooperation in business and investment across the three nations. The Trump administration aims to secure access to Congos rare earth minerals, essential for technologies from fighter jets to smartphones, in an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on China, which dominates global production.

Trump is expected to hold bilateral meetings with both leaders before a three-way session and signing ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, with several African dignitaries attending. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will simultaneously host an event bringing together American business leaders, focusing on opportunities in critical minerals, energy, and tourism, according to Yolande Makolo, adviser to Kagame.

Despite diplomatic progress, clashes continue in eastern Congo, with both M23 and Congolese forces accusing each other of violating ceasefire terms. Thousands have been displaced across South Kivu province, and the conflicts aftermath is compounded by reductions in U.S. humanitarian aid. In rebel-controlled Goma, local services, including banking and airport operations, remain largely suspended, and crime and food prices have risen.

We are waiting to see what will happen because fighting continues, said Moise Bauma, a 27-year-old student in Bukavu. Both Congo and Rwanda have emphasized the importance of U.S. engagement to achieve lasting stability. This is not the end, but its a positive step, Makolo said.

The origins of the conflict trace back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, where Hutu militias killed between 500,000 and 1 million Tutsis, moderate Hutus, and Twa. Subsequent mass Hutu migrations into Congo and accusations of armed militia activity have fueled ongoing tensions. Congo insists that lasting peace requires Rwanda to withdraw its support for M23, while Rwanda conditions a permanent ceasefire on Congo dismantling Hutu militias allied with its army. UN experts estimate 3,0004,000 Rwandan forces remain active in eastern Congo, despite Rwandas denials.

Author: Chloe Ramirez