Trump to host Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame to sign peace deal

The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are set to sign a peace deal aimed at ending the region’s long-running conflict at a summit hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington.

The summit comes as fighting escalates between government forces in resource-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s army accused its opponents of trying to “sabotage” the peace process, but the M23 rebels said the army’s offensive violated the ceasefire agreement.

Earlier this year, the M23 movement overran much of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing thousands and displacing many more.

Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, have frequently exchanged insults in recent years, accusing each other of provoking conflicts.

Trump prompted the foreign ministers of the two countries to sign a peace deal in June, calling it a “glorious victory.”

Tshisekedi and Kagame will now support the deal, with several other African and Arab leaders – including Burundi and Qatar – expected to attend the signing ceremony.

M23 will not be attending – it is negotiating with the DRC government in a parallel peace process led by Qatar.

The Trump administration is leading the push for talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, hoping that resolving differences between the two neighbors will pave the way for increased U.S. investment in the resource-rich region.

Rwanda denies support for M23 despite UN experts say its military “de facto controls the movement of the M23”.

Earlier this year, the M23 captured major cities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including Goma and Bukavu.

Rebels launched a new offensive on villages in South Kivu province on Tuesday, Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, spokesman for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army, said in a statement.

The villages are about 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the city of Uvira, which lies on the border with Burundi and has been the headquarters of the South Kivu regional government since rebels captured Bukavu.

M23 said that the Democratic Republic of the Congo army launched air and ground attacks on its positions and that it was in collusion with the Burundian army.

Burundi has yet to comment on the allegation. It has thousands of troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo supporting the embattled army.

Despite the fanfare and both leaders’ presence in Washington, some analysts are skeptical the deal will lead to lasting peace.

“There is currently no ceasefire and the M23 rebels continue to expand and consolidate their control,” Bram Verelst, a DRC researcher at the South African think tank Institute for Security Studies, told the BBC.

“The signing ceremony is unlikely to change that, although there is some small hope that it will increase the accountability of Congolese and Rwandan leaders to fulfill their commitments,” he said.

Rwanda says it has taken “defensive measures” in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo due to the threat posed by the Democratic Forces of Rwanda militia, which includes fighters who carried out the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Kagame insists that the group disarm, while the Democratic Republic of Congo demands that Rwanda withdraw its troops as a condition for peace.

The impending agreement suggests that both of these things should happen.

However, several peace deals since the 1990s have failed after Rwanda accused the former Congolese government of failing to dismantle the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, which remains one of the main obstacles to current efforts to end the conflict.

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has also demanded that the M23 movement give up the territory it has occupied, but has so far refused to do so in negotiations brokered by Qatar.

Qatar and the United States are coordinating mediation efforts. Qatar has close ties with Rwanda, while the United States is considered closer to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The US State Department says mineral reserves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are estimated at $25 trillion (£21.2 trillion) in 2023.

These include cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and tantalum, which are key ingredients needed to make electronic components used in computers, electric cars, cell phones, wind turbines and military hardware.

“As part of the United States, we received a lot of mineral rights from Congo,” Trump said before signing the deal in June.