US Brokers Rwanda-Congo Peace Deal to Secure Critical Minerals

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Rwanda-Congo Draft Peace Agreement – A Fragile Step Toward Stability Amid Decades of Conflict

By TRH News Desk

New Delhi, May 1, 2025 – Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week signed a US-brokered agreement in Washington. It commits the two warring nations to draft a peace deal by May 2 and refrain from supporting armed groups in eastern Congo.

The peace efforts offer a glimmer of hope for a region plagued by military conflicts for decades. However, with a history of broken ceasefires and deep mistrust between the two nations, the path to lasting peace remains uncertain.

The current conflict, escalating since 2022, centers on M23’s resurgence, which the DRC, the UN, and Western governments accuse Rwanda of supporting — a claim Rwanda denies, citing self-defence against Hutu militias like the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

In January 2025, M23 captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, displacing over 400,000 people. Bukavu fell in February, prompting the DRC to sever diplomatic ties with Rwanda, labeling its military support for M23 a “declaration of war.”

The UN estimates Rwanda had up to 12,000 troops in the DRC by March 2025, highlighting the scale of the crisis.

The April 26 agreement, facilitated by the US and following a Qatar-brokered truce in March, commits Rwanda and the DRC to draft a peace deal by May 2, halt support for armed groups, and explore a joint security coordination mechanism.

Reuters reports that the deal also aims to unlock significant US investment in Congo’s mineral-rich east, a region abundant in tantalum, gold, copper, cobalt, and lithium — resources critical for global tech industries.

Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner expressed cautious optimism, stating, “The good news is there is hope for peace. The real news – peace must be earned, and it will require seriousness, transparency, and sincerity.”

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe added, “We are discussing how to build new regional economic value chains that link our countries, including with American private sector investment.”

The DRC has been a hotspot for military conflicts since the 1990s, largely due to its vast mineral wealth and geopolitical instability following the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, forced many perpetrators to flee into eastern Zaire (now DRC), setting the stage for cross-border tensions.

According to Wikipedia’s entry on the Second Congo War, this led to the First Congo War (1996–1997), where Rwanda, under a Tutsi-led government, backed a rebellion to overthrow Zaire’s Mobutu regime, installing Laurent-Désiré Kabila as president.

The Second Congo War (1998–2003), often called Africa’s World War, drew in multiple nations —Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, and Namibia —resulting in an estimated 5.4 million deaths, making it one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II.

The war was fueled by the trade of conflict minerals like tantalum and gold, which continues to finance militias. Despite the 2003 peace agreement, eastern Congo remains volatile, with groups like the March 23 Movement (M23) perpetuating violence.

Stephanie Wolters, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Africa, notes the region’s history of failed agreements.

“The Great Lakes region has seen numerous peace initiatives, like the 2013 Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, collapse due to mutual accusations and lack of enforcement,” she says, referencing ISS Africa’s analysis.

“M23’s resurgence, supported by Rwanda according to UN reports, underscores the failure of previous security architectures. This new deal must address the root causes — ethnic tensions, resource governance, and regional mistrust — or it risks becoming another empty promise.”

Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group at New York University, emphasizes in his papers that the economic incentives are driving international involvement. “The US sees Congo’s minerals as a counterweight to China’s dominance in the region,” he explains.