Rwanda, Congo sign peace deal in US

Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo signed a US-brokered peace agreement on Friday, raising hopes for an end to fighting that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year.The agreement marks a breakthrough in talks held by US president Donald Trump's administration and aims to attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.At a ceremony with US secretary of state Marco Rubio in Washington, the two African countries' foreign ministers signed the agreement pledging to implement a 2024 deal that would see Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days, according to a copy seen by Reuters.Kinshasa and Kigali will also launch a regional economic integration framework within 90 days, the agreement said.Rubio said on Friday that heads of state would be "here in Washington in a few weeks to finalise the complete protocol and agreement."However, the agreement signed on Friday gives Congo and Rwanda three months to launch a framework "to expand foreign trade and investment derived from regional critical mineral supply chains".A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday that another agreement on the framework would be signed by the heads of state at a separate White House event at an unspecified time.There is an understanding that progress in ongoing talks in Doha - a separate but parallel mediation effort with delegations from the Congolese government and M23 - is essential before the signing of the economic framework, the source said.The agreement signed on Friday voiced "full support" for the Qatar-hosted talks.

Rwanda, Congo sign peace deal in US

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-17

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Rwanda, Congo sign peace deal in US

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-17

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