Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have agreed to draft a peace deal by May 2, committing to respect each other’s sovereignty and refraining from providing military support to armed groups.
DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and her Rwandan counterpart Olivier Nduhungirehe signed the agreement in a tense meeting in Washington, DC, on Friday, in which the two did not shake hands.
The deal, part of diplomatic efforts to end the violence in eastern DRC, came two days after Qatar brokered an unexpected truce between the African nations.
The United States brought the two countries’ foreign ministers together and voiced an interest in investment in the DRC’s turbulent but mineral-rich east, where fighting between DRC forces and M23 rebels has intensified since January. The M23 has captured key cities in the east in a campaign that has left thousands dead.
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