Rwanda Expects Lasting Peace From The US-Brokered Pact
Rwanda’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that he hoped an agreement would be signed by the United States on Thursday, overseen by President Donald Trump and the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo would take a step closer to peace.
In recent days, the Congolese army has been accused of breaking previous peace agreements.
In the latest fighting in eastern DRC, the Congolese army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels accused each other on Tuesday of breaking a truce and attempting to destroy the peace accord.
This underlines the tense reality on the ground, despite Trump’s claim to have concluded the conflict.
In an interview with Reuters in Washington, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe stated that progress was being made on the ground despite the conflict.
"The U.S., of course, has brought on the table an ambitious agreement, and we hope that parties, especially Kinshasa, will understand that it's an opportunity to seize and end this conflict once and for all" – Minister @onduhungirehe held an interview with @Reuters in Washington… pic.twitter.com/AkOzMTtsMf
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Int'l Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) December 4, 2025
“Peace is a process.… There is a kind of stability on positions. There’s no more territory expansion,” he said.
The so-called Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, which are set to be signed on Thursday, follow a series of agreements brokered by the Trump administration between the two countries.
This comprises an economic integration framework designed to attract billions of dollars in Western investment to an area abundant in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium, and other minerals.
“The U.S., of course, has brought on the table an ambitious agreement, and we hope that parties, especially Kinshasa, will understand that it’s an opportunity to seize and end this conflict once and for all,” Nduhungirehe said.
He credited Trump for bringing an economic “incentive” for peace.
Rwanda, which denies supporting M23, is not participating in the Qatar discussions that resulted in a framework agreement for a peace settlement between the DRC and the rebels in November.
Le président Trump, le président du Rwanda, Paul Kagame et le président de la République démocratique du Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, viennent de signer les accords historiques de Washington. 🇺🇸🇷🇼🇨🇩 pic.twitter.com/7cjWnJGqjo
— USA en Français (@USAenFrancais) December 4, 2025
Nduhungirehe accused the Congolese army of using fighter jets and attack drones against the M23 as well as civilian communities.
He described Rwanda’s military presence inside DRC as “defensive measures,” and said that would only be withdrawn when Congolese forces “neutralize” the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (DFLR).
The DFLR is a group formed from the remnants of the former Rwandan government that fled after the 1994 genocide, when 800,000 people – one tenth of Rwanda’s population – were killed in 100 days of slaughter.
WATCH: Full remarks by President Paul #Kagame at the signing ceremony of the Rwanda–DR Congo peace agreements in Washington D.C on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/UyN04MPTop
— The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) December 4, 2025
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“We hope that everything will go as planned, but as of now, we are yet to see any beginning of operation, operations against the FDLR, or any process that can give us trust that the DRC is of good faith,” he said.
DRC’s Minister of Communications and Media Patrick Muyaya, at a news conference in Washington, said the DRC had begun an awareness campaign that will precede disarming FDLR fighters.
“Since the signature of this agreement we are doing our best to make sure we did our part,” he said.
“Peace for us means withdrawal of Rwandan troops, means stop(ping) any kind of support for M23, and once we’ve finished with this, we can start talking… about development, about integration.”
Rwanda Expects Lasting Peace From The US-Brokered Pact
