US President Donald Trump’s Senior Advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, said on Thursday, May 15, that he held discussions with President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi on the developments of a proposed peace agreement expected to be signed in June. ALSO READ: US receives Rwanda-DR Congo peace proposal “This week, I had constructive conversations with both President Tshisekedi and President Kagame as we work to secure a path to peace,” Boulos said in an X post. The anticipated peace agreement seeks to resolve the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, with emphasis on addressing the root causes of the decades-long insecurity crisis. These include the presence in DR Congo of Kinshasa-backed FDLR, a group founded by remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The agreement, expected to be inked at the White House in June by Kagame and Tshisekedi, will be witnessed by President Trump. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Kagame weighs in on US, Qatar-mediated peace efforts Boulos, who met with Kagame and Tshisekedi separately in early April, added that the US government has provided the first draft of the peace agreement to both sides and will work with the parties to iterate on the agreement to reach consensus. “Resolving long-standing differences is hard work, and we are committed to seeing this through. We look forward to further engagement to come to a resolution,” he said. On May 5, the US government received inputs to the peace deal from Rwanda and DR Congo, following the signing of declaration of principles of the agreement in Washington on April 25. Besides the US, Qatar has also played a role in shaping a new direction for the situation in eastern DR Congo towards peace. This in addition to African Union-led efforts, including through the now-merged Nairobi process and the Luanda process, which morphed into the EAC-SADC initiative. Under Qatar's mediation, Kinshasa has also recently begun talks with the AFC/M23 movement, a group which Tshisekedi had previously refused to talk to, branding them terrorists. ALSO READ: Trump advisor says FDLR ‘a major element of any DR Congo peace accord’ Speaking at the Africa CEO forum in Gabon on May 12, Kagame took note of positive contributions from different players supporting Africa to develop and resolve conflicts. He added that Africans must take full ownership and responsibility for their future. “In any case, even if we are able to do things by ourselves, we still have to bring in partners who have what to offer,” he said. But we have to define which direction to take as Africa and not be entirely dependent on what these people are contributing.” ALSO READ: Nduhungirehe: Washington declaration ‘opens door to peace’ in DR Congo In addition to the envisaged peace deal to be signed next month, Rwanda and DR Congo are due to sign separate bilateral economic agreements with the US government. Before the peace agreement is signed, the US has emphasised that both parties must first meet several preconditions. Among them, DR Congo must fully address internal security challenges and Rwanda's security concerns, 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. On April 25, Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers signed the Declaration of Principles, marking the beginning of a peace process aimed at restoring stability not only in eastern DR Congo but also in 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.
