Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said that Rwanda has already submitted its contributions to the draft peace agreement that will be finalised and signed with DR Congo to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern part of DR Congo. Speaking to the national broadcaster, Rwanda Broadcastin Agency (RBA), on Sunday, May 4, he said that May 2 was the date to generate the first draft agreement, which will be finalised and signed at the White House in June. ALSO READ: What to know as Trump prepares to witness Rwanda–DR Congo peace agreement The agreement is expected to be inked by President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi, with U.S. President Donald Trump in attendance. “On our side, we have provided our inputs and contributions to this draft which will be negotiated by experts in the coming days and we will have a second ministerial meeting in Washington in the third week of this month of May,” Nduhungirehe said. From there, he added that the peace agreement will be finalised and submitted to the Heads of State of both parties in mid-June for signing. The signing ceremony will also be attended by countries that acted as mediators in the crisis, including the President of Kenya, William Ruto, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, representing the African Union, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani. In addition to the peace deal, the two countries are expected to sign separate bilateral economic agreements with the US. On April 30, the two countries signed a Declaration of Principles, marking the beginning of a peace process aimed at restoring stability not only to eastern DRC but also to the broader Great Lakes region, which has long suffered from the spill-over of the conflict. In the declaration, both sides reaffirmed their respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and committed to resolving disputes through diplomacy and dialogue rather than through force or inflammatory rhetoric. The developments followed a round of talks held in Doha, Qatar, involving delegations from the U.S., Rwanda, the DRC, and Qatar. Rwanda was represented by Brig Gen Jean Paul Nyirubutama, Deputy Director General of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS), and Brig Gen Patrick Karuretwa, the Head of International Military Cooperation. ALSO READ: What does US involvement in DR Congo talks bring to the table? Before the agreement is signed, the U.S. has emphasized that both parties must first meet several preconditions. Among them, the DRC must fully address internal security challenges, including disbanding the genocidal FDLR. In addition, DR Congo is expected to implement internal governance reforms, including ensuring fair distribution of national resources across its regions. Nduhungirehe emphasised that security issues remain paramount and there is no shortcut to peace, noting that both parties recognized the security concerns of each other during the declaration of principles. “We agreed in that document to deploy a joint security mechanism that would help us in addressing those concerns because we are dealing with a security threat for the past 30 years of the FDLR genocidal force that is still operating in eastern DR Congo and embedded in the Congolese army.” “We hope that with this new momentum for peace, we will be able to really address this issue of FDLR.” A monitoring committee, including representatives from the U.S., Qatar, France, and Togo—the latter acting on behalf of the African Union – will oversee the implementation of these conditions. Negotiations previously conducted under the EAC-SADC framework have now been formally placed under the leadership of the African Union, with Togo taking the lead in facilitating the process going forward.
