Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign peace agreement in the US.

(CLO) On December 4th, US President Donald Trump met with the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign a peace agreement between the two countries.

Despite the ongoing violence on the ground, Trump hailed the US-brokered agreement on December 4th as a new chapter for the region. "This is a great day: a momentous day for Africa, for the world , and for both these countries," Trump said.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met in Qatar in March, launching negotiations that led to the agreement. The initial agreement was signed in June. The ceremony on Thursday will finalize the agreements.

President Trump, along with President Kagame of Rwanda and President Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, signed the Washington Accords, a peace agreement, at the Donald J. Trump Institute for Peace in Washington on December 4. Photo: White House

This agreement has raised hopes of ending the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group supported by Rwanda, has advanced further into the country's resource-rich east.

Meanwhile, Rwanda's main grievance with the Democratic Republic of Congo centers on allegations that the Central African nation tolerated Hutu militias involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which targeted the country's Tutsi community.

The peace agreement, backed by the US president, stipulated that Rwanda would end its support for the M23 and the Democratic Republic of Congo would help "neutralize" Hutu militias – specifically the Rwandan Democratic Liberation Forces.

On Thursday, Democratic Republic of Congo President Tshisekedi said the terms of the agreement marked a "turning point" for the region. For his part, Rwandan President Kagame said the success of the agreement depended on the two countries themselves.

The US President also announced that the US would sign bilateral agreements with the DRC and Rwanda to purchase rare earth minerals from these two countries.

He said, "We're going to be involved in sending some of our biggest and greatest companies to these two countries... And we're going to mine some rare earths, extract some resources and pay. People are going to make a lot of money."

Rare earth minerals are considered a strategic resource worldwide, used in new technologies such as electric vehicle batteries, semiconductor chips, energy production, and medical devices.

Trump has publicly declared himself worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming he has resolved eight conflicts around the world this year, although that number remains controversial.

Source: https://congluan.vn/rwanda-va-chdc-congo-ky-thoa-thuan-hoa-binh-o-my-10321427.html