Donald Trump, United States president will host Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, at the White House on Thursday for what Washington is calling a major diplomatic milestone.
The two African leaders are expected to sign what Karoline Leavitt White House spokesperson described as a “historic peace and economic agreement that president Trump brokered,” capping months of delicate negotiations aimed at ending one of the continent’s most entrenched conflicts.
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The meeting follows a preliminary peace and economic pact signed by the foreign ministers of both countries in Washington in June. After further talks in Qatar in November, the ministers agreed on a framework intended to halt years of fighting in eastern DRC, where more than one hundred armed groups operate.
At the heart of the crisis is the M23 rebellion in North Kivu, a conflict with roots tracing back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The group, largely made up of ethnic Tutsi, has battled the DRC government for more than a decade. The violence escalated sharply in recent years after the rebels resurged in 2021, amid accusations that Rwanda was backing the group. Kigali has repeatedly denied this, insisting its forces have only acted in self defence near the border.
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The human toll has been severe. Thousands of civilians have been killed over the years, including at least 319 people in North Kivu in July, according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The UN said the killings were carried out by M23 fighters “aided by members of the Rwanda Defence Force” shortly after the initial White House deal was announced.
Despite these setbacks, both governments have pushed ahead with negotiations. In Doha, they signed two of eight planned implementation protocols, including provisions for ceasefire monitoring and prisoner exchange. Remaining questions include restoring state authority in areas held by rebels, reintegrating armed groups, reforming local economies, and addressing the presence of foreign fighters.
A DRC presidential spokesperson told the Associated Press in November that Kinshasa would only accept a deal that guarantees the “territorial integrity of the country,” underscoring the sensitivity of the talks.
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The White House maintains that Thursday’s meeting represents a turning point. “This is about giving people hope after years of violence,” a US official familiar with the preparations said.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed credit for helping to end several international conflicts since taking office in January, is expected to use the ceremony to showcase his administration’s growing diplomatic footprint in Africa.
But with some details of the final agreement are still unclear,
