Congo and Rwanda have submitted a draft peace proposal as part of U.S.-led negotiations aimed at ending the conflict in resource-rich eastern Congo,according to U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa and the Middle East,Massad Boulos.
Boulos welcomed the draft text on social media,calling it “an important step,” though details of the proposal remain unclear. It is unknown whether it addresses potential U.S. access to the region’s critical minerals,which Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has previously mentioned as a potential concession in exchange for American help resolving the conflict.
The development follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s efforts last month,when he oversaw Congo and Rwanda signing a pledge to work toward peace. Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told Rwanda Broadcasting Agency that he will meet his Congolese counterpart in mid-May to negotiate a final agreement,with hopes that both presidents will sign it at the White House in mid-June in Trump’s presence.
The conflict in eastern Congo escalated dramatically in January when Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu. The fighting has killed approximately 3,000 people and displaced more than 7 million,including 100,000 who fled their homes this year alone.
Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt,crucial for electric vehicle batteries and smartphones,and possesses substantial gold,diamond,and copper reserves. Both countries hope U.S. involvement—and the promise of major investment if security improves—will end violence that has persisted since the mid-1990s.
“A durable peace… will open the door for greater U.S. and broader Western investment,” Rubio stated,adding that it would “advance President Trump’s prosperity agenda for the world.”
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