US President Donald Trump on Thursday (December 4th) welcomed representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda to sign a US-brokered deal to end violence in eastern Congo and give US companies access to the region’s vast reserves of critical minerals.
Calling the moment “a great day for Africa, a great day for the world,” Trump said, “Today we are succeeding where so many others have failed.
The deal, finalized in Washington after months of mediation, builds on a tentative pact signed in June and is hailed by the White House as a major diplomatic breakthrough.
Trump is taking center stage
The ceremony gave Trump another opportunity to present himself as a global salesman and revive his long-standing claim that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. The incident came just days after he made disparaging comments about Somalia, remarks that sparked criticism across the African continent.
Trump met individually with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame before the trilateral meeting.
The conflict still rages
Despite the diplomatic triumph, fighting continues on the ground. Eastern Congo is still gripped by a conflict involving more than 100 armed groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who recently captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu. The escalation deepened one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and displaced millions.
Trump often claims that his mediation “ended the conflict.” However, both officials expressed cautious optimism.
Kagame said: “No one asked President Trump to take on this task… But when the president saw an opportunity to contribute to peace, he immediately accepted it.”
Tshisekedi added: “I believe that this day is the beginning of a new journey… a journey where peace will not be just a wish, an aspiration, but a turning point.”
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The deal opens access to critical minerals for US companies
The central pillar of the agreement is economic cooperation. The United States has also signed bilateral agreements with Congo and Rwanda that will facilitate American access to critical minerals needed for manufacturing technology, electronics and defense equipment.
Trump said major American corporations would soon enter the region: “We’re going to be involved in sending some of our biggest and biggest American companies to two countries… Everybody’s going to make a lot of money.”
The move comes as Washington seeks alternatives to China, which dominates both mining and processing of rare earths globally.
Decades of tension rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide
The crisis in eastern Congo is deeply linked to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which killed up to 1 million people. The influx of nearly 2 million Hutu refugees into Congo – including militias accused of genocide – kicked off a decade of instability.
Rwanda has long maintained that remnants of these groups still threaten Tutsis across the border. Congo says peace is impossible unless Rwanda ends its support for M23 rebels. Rwanda, meanwhile, insists that a lasting ceasefire requires Congo to disband local militias linked to its army.
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