U.S. President Donald Trump hosted, on Thursday in Washington, his two counterparts—Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi—to sign a peace agreement, despite ongoing fighting in their region.
Kagame and Tshisekedi confirmed their commitments to the economic integration deal reached last month, as well as to the U.S.-brokered peace pact in June. They are also expected to sign an agreement on critical minerals, Reuters reports.
The signing ceremony represented a clear diplomatic win for Trump, despite the bloody reality on the ground. Washington seeks access to Congo’s natural resources and is taking global steps to counter China’s influence in the critical minerals sector.
“We are resolving a conflict that has been ongoing for decades. They spent a lot of time killing each other, and now they will spend a lot of time embracing each other, holding hands, and exploiting the United States economically, as any other state would,” said the U.S. president.
The two African leaders signed the documents and exchanged them with Trump, while clashes between the M23 rebel group, backed by Rwanda, and the Congolese army continued in South Kivu province. A spokesperson for M23 accused government forces of bombing several civilian areas.
A White House official stated that the signing “recommits the parties to the peace process” and reflects “months of intensive diplomacy led by President Trump, who made it clear to Congo and Rwanda that the status quo was unacceptable.”
