Washington– Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump The United Nations will host the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on Thursday to sign an agreement aimed at ending the conflict Conflict in eastern Congo Open access to the area Critical minerals For the US government and US companies.
The moment saves Trump – who has done so over and over again A bit of an exaggeration He has bragged about brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts – another opportunity to promote himself as an exceptional deal maker on the world stage and prove it. He deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. The American President was not ashamed of his desire to receive this honor.
Trump receives presidents Felix Tshisekedi Congo and Paul Kagame Rwanda, as well as several officials from other African countries traveling to Washington to attend the signing, in the same week He disdainfully mocked the war-torn nation of Somalia He said he did so because he did not want immigrants from the East African country in the United States
The agreement between Tshisekedi and Kagame comes after the White House praised it as a “historic” agreement brokered by Trump. Peace efforts have been ongoing for months by the United States Partners, including the African Union and Qatar, finalized an earlier agreement It occurred in June.
But the peace brokered by Trump is fraught with danger.
Central African country of Congo He had been beaten before A fight that lasted decades It includes more than 100 armed groups, the most powerful of which are the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement rebels. The conflict escalated this year M23 captures major cities in the region Goma and Bukavu are in unprecedented progress and worsening Humanitarian crisis Which was already one of the largest disasters in the world, with millions of people displaced.
Meanwhile, fighting continued this week in the strife-torn region, with reports of clashes between rebels and Congolese soldiers and allied forces. Trump, a Republican, has often said his mediation ended the conflict Some people in Congo say this is not true.
Analysts say Thursday’s agreement is also not expected to lead to peace quickly. A separate peace agreement was signed Between Congo and the M23 movement.
“We are still at war,” said Amani Chibalonza Edith, 32, a resident of Goma, the main city in eastern Congo that rebels seized early this year. “There can be no peace as long as the front lines remain active.”
Thursday’s agreement will also rely on the Regional Economic Integration Framework, which officials said will set the terms of economic partnerships involving the three countries.
The region, which is rich in vital minerals, is receiving Trump’s attention, as Washington is looking for ways to circumvent China to obtain rare minerals necessary to manufacture fighter planes, mobile phones, and others. China accounts for approximately 70% of the world’s rare earth mining and controls approximately 90% of the world’s rare earth processing.
Trump is expected to hold separate meetings with the leaders of Congo and Rwanda before trilateral talks followed by the scheduled signing at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, the State Department announced on Wednesday. Its name was changed to the “Donald J. Trump Peace Institute.”
Later Thursday, the US Chamber of Commerce will also host an event bringing together US business leaders and Congolese and Rwandan delegations to discuss potential investment opportunities in critical minerals, energy and tourism, according to Yolande McCullough, a senior advisor to Kagame.
In eastern Congo, residents reported pockets of clashes and rebel advances in various areas. The M23 Movement and the Congolese Forces have often accused each other of violating the terms of a ceasefire agreed to earlier this year. Fighting also continued in the central plateaus across South Kivu province.
Post-conflict difficulties were also exacerbated by cuts in US funding needed to support aid in the conflict.
In rebel-held Goma, which was a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts before the fighting escalated this year, the international airport was closed. Government services such as Banking operations have not yet resumed Residents have reported a significant increase in crime and commodity prices.
“We are waiting to see what will happen because until now, the two sides continue to clash and attack each other,” said Moise Boma, a 27-year-old student in the rebel-controlled city of Bukavu.
Meanwhile, both Congo and Rwanda described the US participation as a major step towards peace in the region.
“We need that attention from the administration to continue to get where we need to be,” McCullough said. “We are under no illusions that this will be easy. This is not the end but it is a good step.”
Conflict This can be traced back to the aftermath of the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994, where Hutu militias killed between 500,000 and one million ethnic Tutsis, as well as moderate Hutu and Twa, who are the indigenous people. When Tutsi-led forces responded, nearly two million Hutus crossed into Congo, fearing retaliation.
The Rwandan authorities accused the Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide and claimed that members of the Congolese army protected them. They claimed that militias formed by a small percentage of Hutus posed a threat to Rwanda’s Tutsi population.
The Congolese government said there could be no lasting peace if Rwanda did not withdraw its supporting forces and other support to the M23 movement in the region. On the other hand, Rwanda conditioned a permanent ceasefire on Congo dissolving a local militia that it said was made up of Hutus and was fighting with the Congolese army.
UN experts said that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan government soldiers are deployed in eastern Congo, working alongside the M23 movement. Rwanda denies such support, but says any action taken in the conflict is aimed at protecting its territory.
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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria, and Madani reported from Washington. Justin Kabumba contributed to this report from Goma, Congo.