The agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo allows the US to exploit their minerals

The pact includes an economic component by granting the United States preferential access to strategic minerals in the region.

It is about the second signing of an agreement between both countries in less than half a year. In June, they already signed another in a ceremony at the State Department, with the presence of the Secretary of State, Marco Rubioand the foreign ministers of both countries.

However, violence continued in the region, and in November representatives of the DRC and the rebel group signed a framework agreement in Doha, brokered by Qatarwith the aim of achieving definitive peace.

“Today we are succeeding where so many others have failed and this has become the eighth war that we have ended in less than a year. It’s really exciting, because we’re talking about 30 years of struggle and more than 10 million lives.“Trump said during Thursday’s ceremony.

Trump detailed that the agreement contemplates a permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state forces, the return of refugees and accountability for those who have committed atrocities.

“They spent a lot of time killing each other, and now they’re going to spend a lot of time hugging each otherholding hands and taking economic advantage of the United States,” the Republican joked.

The presidents of both countries thanked the American leader for his participation in the agreement, but clarified that, If “things don’t go the way they should,” the responsibility will not fall on Trump. “It is up to us in Africa to work with our partners to consolidate and expand this peace,” Kagame said during his speech.

For his part, Tshisekedi was hopeful: “We will be lucid, but firmly optimistic. These Washington agreements for peace and prosperity must be for our people a symbol of an irreversible commitment,” he added.

The presidents of Angola, Burundi and Kenya also attended the event; and representatives from Uganda and Togo, among other countries.

The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace, an independent body created by Congress, which is now under the control of the State Department and has been renamed after Trump.

The Republican reiterated having put an end to eight wars, the most recent, that of Gaza, a debatable argument with which he tries to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since 1998, eastern DRC has been experiencing a conflict fueled by rebel groups and the Army, despite the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission (Monusco).

The crisis in eastern Congo worsened at the end of last January, when the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23), backed by Rwanda – according to the UN and several Western countries – took control of Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu, and weeks later of Bukavu, capital of neighboring South Kivu.