In what appears to be State Secretary Marco Rubio’s first diplomatic victory, the US State Department and its Bureau of African Affairs announced a peace deal between The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The deal is being described as “a pathway to peace,” with both sides signing terms that acknowledge and recognise each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. According to the treaty, both parties will refrain from contesting borders or interfering in each other’s internal affairs. The treaty was signed by Congo’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, and Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe.
Rwanda and Congo both agreed they will be respecting the United Nation’s peace keeping mission in the region as mandated by the United Nations Security Council. The peace-keeping mission is called MONUSCO: United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. M23 killed several UN peace-keepers during their latest invasion.
Earlier this year, Rwanda took advantage of the instability and the weak government in Congo to back the M23 take-over of Goma and South Kivu Province, starting from Goma that borders Rwanda. The surprise invasion by the M23 rebels risked dragging the region into a protracted war that involve multiple neighbours.
Newsroom
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