Rwanda-DRC deal: Washington shepherds implementation drive

The US is shepherding the implementation of June’s peace deal between the Democratic Republicx of Congo and Rwanda, brokered in Washington with President Donald Trump as its most powerful facilitator.

To set this in motion, the US convened two sets of meetings on July 30 through August 1, 2025, focusing on implementing the security aspects of the agreement. This process will go move in tandem with a framework for regional economic growth opportunities, which are seen as critical to achieving long-term stability and durable peace in the Great Lakes, a region plagued by decades of conflict.

This bilateral initiative is designed to unlock the immense economic potential of the Great Lakes region made possible only through the implementation of the peace agreement, said a statement from the US Department of State.

With facilitation by Washington, officials from DRC and Rwanda on August 1 put pen to the text encapsulating the Regional Economic Integration Framework Tenets, one of the key requirements of the deal.

Washington will ensure that there is a joint DRC-Rwanda coordination in energy, infrastructure, mining, national park management and tourism, and public health with a view to driving economic growth and improved livelihoods in poor communities across the Great Lakes region which have been left impoverished by the conflict.

On July 31, DRC and Rwandan delegations as members of the Joint Oversight Committee held their first meeting to support peace implementation, under the direct supervision of the US, Qatar, and Togo as the African Union facilitator, and the African Union Commission.

The committee;s task is to serves as a platform not only to oversee the implementation of the peace agreement but to resolve disputes between the two parties.

The meeting ended with the appointment of chairpersons, an endorsement of governing terms ahead of the launch of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism.

Washington described the meetings as significant steps forward in implementing the agreement, praising the DRC and Rwanda taking meaningful actions to advance security and economic cooperation.

The Trump administration aid it is irreversibly committed to the successful conclusion of the process to the return of peace in the Great Lakes.

Washington is already looking forward to hosting the Summit of Heads of State in the US capital, to drive peace, stability, and economic prosperity in one of Africa’s most deprived regions thanks to decades of conflict.

Source:APA