Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are expected to travel to Washington next week to sign a U.S.-brokered peace agreement aimed at ending renewed conflict in eastern Congo and unlocking major Western investment in the region’s mineral sector, three sources told Reuters.
According to diplomatic sources and Tina Salama, spokesperson for President Tshisekedi, the meeting is scheduled for 4 December and will include talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. A spokesperson for Kagame and U.S. officials declined to comment on Friday, though a White House official said last week that the administration “continues to engage both sides and looks forward to welcoming them at the appropriate time.”
Conflict escalation drives urgency
The diplomatic effort comes after the M23 rebel group launched a rapid offensive earlier this year, capturing the two largest cities in eastern DRC and raising fears of a broader regional war. The latest fighting has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Built on the June peace framework
The expected summit builds on a preliminary peace arrangement signed by the two countries’ foreign ministers in Washington in June, as well as an economic integration framework agreed earlier this month.
Salama confirmed that both presidents are expected to jointly ratify the agreements, stressing that Tshisekedi “has always supported regional integration, but sovereignty is non-negotiable.”
Washington has indicated that a stable security environment could pave the way for multi-billion-dollar Western investment in a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other strategic minerals critical to global supply chains.
Despite commitments, little progress has been achieved on the June security measures, including neutralising the FDLR militia and the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from Congolese territory. Rwanda denies backing the M23 movement, but a July report by UN experts said Kigali maintains “command and control” over the rebels.
Qatar has hosted a parallel track of talks between Kinshasa and M23, resulting in a framework agreement earlier this month, though substantial details remain
