Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a major peace agreement in Washington, USA on June 27 2025. This agreement offers hope that the years of deadly conflict between the two countries will finally end.
The United States and Qatar helped make this historic deal happen and the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversaw the ceremony.
The Foreign Minister of Rwanda Olivier Nduhungirehe and the Foreign Minister of DRC Therese Kayikwamba Wagner both agreed to sign the agreement.
The goal of this agreement is to stop fighting between the two nations, take weapons away from terrorizing armed groups, help the DRC region become more stable and work together economically.
This happened just weeks after the M23 rebel group gained more land in eastern Congo. The M23 group has been the cause of tension between the two countries for a long time.
The agreement entails that Rwandan soldiers must leave Congolese soil within three months. It also states that a joint security group must be set up within 30 days to watch over and enforce peace.
Both countries also agreed to respect each other’s borders, cease the war and possibly include non-state armed groups. The agreement also requires the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) connected to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda to be broken up.
The deal also includes plans for refugees and people who have been displaced within their own country to return home. It also allows humanitarian aid to be delivered and encouraging regional economic growth within 90 days.
Rwanda and the DRC have also promised to work more closely together on economic issues and to bring international investment to the region which has many valuable minerals that are important to global supply chains.
U.S President Donald Trump took credit for brokering the peace deal between the two countries and called it a great success in diplomacy that stopped ‘one of the worst wars anyone’s ever seen’.
He also highlighted that the United States secured significant mineral rights from the DRC as part of the agreement.
