Janviere Uwimana, GPJ Rwanda
More than 45,000 people cross the Rwanda-DRC border every day, despite a longstanding conflict between the two countries. Approximately 7 million people have been displaced in DRC and, since 1996, about 6 million have died as a result of multiple crises, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. A peace deal signed Friday in Washington, D.C. promises to end brutality in eastern DRC at the hands of M23, one Rwanda-backed armed group.
After more than a decade of Rwandan support for armed conflict in DRC, the governments of the two countries signed a peace deal in Washington, D.C. on Friday aimed at ending ongoing brutality in one of the most violent corners of the world.
According to a preview of the language jointly released on June 18 by the United States State Department, DRC and Rwanda, terms of the deal include respect for territorial integrity, a prohibition of hostilities, disengagement and disarmament, and the conditional integration of non-state armed groups. The terms also include the facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced people. Those terms, previously initialed by teams from the African nations ahead of Friday’s ceremonial signing, built on a Declaration of Principles agreed to on April 25.
A statement posted Friday on DRC’s government website said the deal “does indeed provide for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops” – pointing to the use of the word “disengagement” as a more comprehensive term that includes “cessation of fighting.”
DRC-Rwanda Peace Pact Sparks Hope and Skepticism
A new agreement between DRC and Rwanda seeks to end violence in eastern DRC, but many local residents remain uncertain about armed group withdrawals and fear the deal will mainly benefit foreign interests.
ReadThe Mobilization for the Safeguarding of Congolese Sovereignty and Autonomy, a coalition of 80 Congolese organizations, published an appeal concerning the peace agreement’s terms and what it considers a lack of transparency.
The appeal states the following: “This secret agreement, which has not been shared with the Congolese people, will end up diminishing the sovereignty of the DRC over its own lands, resources, governance, economy and military.” The appeal also states that the framework might “normalize the current illicit resource and power grabs underway by Rwanda … and their other allies, including Western powers that covet the DRC’s minerals and support Rwanda with financial aid.”
At Friday’s signing, Massad Boulos, the senior advisor for Africa for US President Donald Trump’s administration, added that Qatar’s government, which helped broker the deal, was “driving towards a parallel agreement” between DRC’s government and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, which has brutalized eastern DRC for more than a decade.
M23 first emerged in 2012 and has fomented violence in waves. Since late 2021, it has terrorized people in a huge swath of eastern DRC, displacing an estimated 1.2 million people as of late March, and killing several thousand this year alone in an effort to secure the region for Rwanda’s interests. That brutality has included the summary execution of children, widespread sexual violence and massacres across the region. The region is among the world’s most violent; approximately 6 million people have died due to multiple conflicts since 1996.
Alongside an estimated 6,000 M23 fighters, roughly 4,000 Rwandan troops are present in DRC. After seizing two provincial capitals, Goma and Bukavu, early this year, M23 renewed its call for regime change in Kinshasa, vowing to “overthrow” the Congolese government.
Global Press Journal has extensively covered the conflict in eastern DRC for over a decade. For more context, read our prior coverage:
‘Hunger Never Leaves Us’: Conflict Leads to Starvation in DRC
Clashes between Rwanda-backed M23 armed group and the DRC military are quietly starving a generation.
Closed Clinics, Empty Shelves: Patients Struggle as War Unravels Lubero’s Health Care System
Violence and road blockages have made it impossible to transport people and vital supplies to medical facilities.
25 Years, 224 Abuse Allegations, No Peace: A Timeline of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in DRC
The longtime mission leaves a complex legacy, providing safety to displaced populations even as some peacekeepers stood accused of sexual abuse. While some celebrate their departure, others predict a dangerous security vacuum.
“I Will Not Leave This Place”
Refusing to Become a Refugee and Other Reflections from the Heart of Congo’s Ongoing Conflict
DRC Displacement Camps Face Critical Water Shortages
“We end up slowly dying,” people in the camps say.
‘I Watch My Children Starve’: Conditions Deteriorate at Displacement Camp
Many families expected a short stay, but the days have turned into months, and there’s not enough food to go around.
Food Crisis in Goma as M23 Fighting Intensifies
The Congolese army has clashed with M23, an armed group, in North Kivu province, where residents face food scarcity and high prices.
‘Nothing Has Changed’: Facing a Perpetual State of Emergency
Residents in the country’s eastern regions argue that months of martial law have done little to stop the violence.
Mental Illness: The Vast, Hidden Toll of DRC’s Armed Conflicts
Ongoing violence has left thousands of rural Congolese desperate for help. But cultural stigma, superstition and poverty keep many from seeking treatment.
