Congo and Rwanda presidents to meet in the US to sign peace deal

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi will travel to the U.S. next week to sign a final agreement with his Rwandan counterpart aimed at securing peace in eastern Congo, the Congolese government said Friday, capping monthslong diplomatic efforts spearheaded by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Any signing by Congo, however, will be conditioned on Rwanda’s withdrawal of support for the M23 rebels, according to Tina Salama, a spokesperson for President Tshisekedi, told The Associated Press.

Tshisekedi’s confirmation of the Dec. 4 signing comes a day after Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame expressed optimism over the deal, but cautioned that lasting peace in Congo’s eastern region can only be achieved if “people directly concerned are committed to achieve results.”

Eastern Congo has been battered by fighting between government forces and more than 100 armed groups, the most potent being the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The conflict escalated this year, with the M23 seizing the region’s main cities of Goma and Bukavu, worsening a humanitarian crisis that was already one of the world’s largest.

U.N. experts have said that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan government forces are deployed in eastern Congo, operating alongside the M23. Rwanda denies such support but has said that any action taken in the conflict is to protect its territory.

Salama, the Congolese president’s spokesperson, said a peace deal must be reached with “no mixing or integration of M23 fighters,” adding that the withdrawal of Rwandan troops has already been agreed to in an earlier agreement signed in June by both Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers.

“We are seeking peace within the framework of regional integration,” Salama said. “What is non-negotiable for us is the territorial integrity of the DRC.”

Kagame on Thursday expressed concern that Congolese authorities are reneging on previous agreements and constantly shifting goalposts, adding that the success of the agreement will depend on the commitment of the two warring sides.

“Some of these processes will not work not just because we are meeting in Washington or powerful United States is involved, but until those people concerned directly are committed to achieve end results,” Kagame said.

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Ssuuna wrote from Kigali, Rwanda.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa