DRC And Rwanda To Sign Business-Led Peace Deal

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on June 18, 2025, agreed on a draft peace deal, reported some media on June 19, 2025.

According to the reports, the draft peace deal between DRC and Rwanda was brokered by USA, and followed three days of negotiations between representatives from the two neighboring East African Community nations, that took place in Washington DC, USA. The draft peace deal will be signed into a peace deal by the leaders of DRC and Rwanda on June 27, 2025, in Washington DC, say the reports.

DRC and Rwanda to sign a business-led peace deal

Reportedly, according to the draft peace deal, DRC and Rwanda have agreed to, among others, provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities, disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups.

The peace deal when signed and implemented, is expected to end the ongoing bloody war in DRC's eastern provinces, that involves DRC government troops and the country's notorious M23 rebels. The latter are said to be supported by more than 4000 Rwandan troops. In recent months the rebels and their Rwandan backers have made considerable gains at the battlefront having captured the capitals of both North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Despite the military gains, the M23 rebels are said to have not been involved directly in the negotiations that led to the draft peace deal, and, as such, will not be signatory of the deal. That could probably be seen as credible confirmation of allegations about Rwanda's direct involvement in the war in eastern DRC, with M23 rebel group as its proxy. Hitherto the draft peace deal, Rwanda had persistently and adamantly denied involvement in the conflict in DRC or even having troops there.

Also, the peace deal is expected to facilitate flow of US investments into the now war-torn eastern provinces in DRC. The provinces have massive reserves of mineral resources including some critical minerals like cobalt, lithium, and coltan, among others. USA's efforts to broker the peace deal are not therefore for free, but rather transactional. USA expects some economic returns from the deal when it is implemented, hence making it a business-led peace deal.

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