A U.S.-brokered peace deal, signed on June 27 between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, will link economic integration and respect for territorial integrity with the promise of Western investment. It is a mineral deal first, an opportunity for peace second. Making the deal work will depend on continued monitoring by the U.S. government and support from Congress.
The deal aligns squarely with U.S. strategic interests and President Trump's ethos for a transactional foreign policy. The carrots offered to both the Congolese for their minerals and to Rwanda, a potential processing hub, may get the two to the table. Yet from my experience in the region, I believe a sustainable peace can only be delivered if accountability for human rights violations committed by all sides is out front.
For while this deal represents the most practical opportunity in years to end abuses against civilians in eastern Congo, it fails to address the impunity that drives so much conflict.
The region's mineral wealth, which includes cobalt, coltan, gold, tin, and tungsten, is an invisible driver of both opportunity and destruction. Armed groups financed by the pillaging of these resources have long perpetuated the conflict.
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Grave abuses have been committed by the M23 rebel group, which controls key parts of eastern Congo, and the Rwandan government forces that support them. For its part, the Congolese government should account for abuses by its own troops and allied militia. Without an end to this conflict, the foreign investment, mining operations and other actors looking to benefit from the minerals deal may not be spared from the violence, lack of rule of law and continuing injustice.
For years, Rwanda has backed the M23, fueling violence and instability. This latest incursion has been brutal as they have committed widespread abuses, including summary executions, shelling displacement camps and forcibly recruiting children. The fighting earlier this year between M23 and the Congo forces displaced hundreds of thousands of people and exacerbated a long-running humanitarian crisis. Our research shows that these attacks are often carried out with the direct coordination of Rwandan forces, which provide the weapons.
For the Trump administration's momentum to turn into tangible progress, Rwanda must first be held to the principles it agreed to in April, including to withdraw its troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo and rein in the M23, which should no longer remain in a position to terrorize civilians in key towns and cities. Its attacks against civilians need to end. Compliance should be verified by independent international observers aware of the Rwandan government's pattern of denial and duplicity.
Pressure to adhere to the key principles of the deal will not come from inside Rwanda. The ruling party is intolerant of dissent both at home and abroad. Pressure is needed from Rwanda's partners. The U.S. should be ready to further sanction Rwandan officials implicated in abuses and publicly call out the government when it sidesteps key provisions of the deal.
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The Congolese government also needs to clean its own house. Its continued support for its allied militia will undermine the deal. Over the course of this crisis we have also documented the Congolese army's coordination with and support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, some of whose fighters and commanders were responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This needs to end. Congo should dismantle this group once and for all.
Ethnic divisions remain explosive in the region. The Congolese government should make good-faith efforts to rein in hate speech that threatens to incite violence.
The U.S. Congress can help improve the chances of success and sustainability of the U.S.-brokered deal with the Congo and Rwanda since the signing by directing that U.S. investment in any infrastructure or security support must be contingent on the full withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congo and an end to Congolese support for abusive groups. Congress should also signal support for investigations into serious crimes and to ensure international monitoring and compliance with the agreement.
Anything less risks betraying the promise of a real, lasting peace for eastern Congo as well as for a reliable stream of minerals, untainted by rights abuses, for the United States.
Lewis Mudge, Director, Central Africa
