KIGALI, Rwanda

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement Friday in Washington, aimed at ending the conflict that has been raging in eastern Congo for decades.

The peace deal brokered by the US is based on the fundamental principles established in the Declaration of Principles signed on April 23, between the two countries.

It responds to the Congo’s key concerns, including respect for its territorial integrity, the disarmament of armed groups and the implementation of measures to restore lasting stability in the region.

The deal provides for a cessation of hostilities between the two neighboring countries' armies.

Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, Congo’s foreign minister who signed the deal on behalf of her country, welcomed the initiative, terming it not only a diplomatic victory, but also a triumph for the entire Congolese people.

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said the agreement is based on the commitment made to irreversibly and verifiably end state support for Rwandan militia, the FDLR and associated militias.

However, experts and Congolese welcomed the deal with caution on whether it can put an end to a conflict in which many people, largely civilians, have lost their lives and millions of others have been displaced.

Speaking to Anadolu, Louis Gitinywa, a Rwanda-based political analyst said several agreements have been signed previously between the two countries but all failed to end decades-old conflict in eastern Congo.

“We have a lot of agreements which have been signed between the two countries: The Goma agreement, the Addis Ababa agreement, the Nairobi agreement ... But the real issue is about implementation. Will there be political will on both sides to respect the agreement?” Gitinywa, a human rights lawyer, said.

“Why they sign agreements and are not implemented remains the real concern; those in leadership are in a better position to answer that question. When you sign an agreement you are bound to implement its terms in good faith. At the end of the day, it will be how this agreement will be implemented.”

Gitinywa pointed to several ceasefires which have also been violated since the resurgence of the M23 rebels in 2022.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame acknowledged in a past interview with Jeune Afrique weekly magazine that several agreements have been signed but that none of them has been respected.

Andre Mbata, permanent secretary at the Sacred Union of the Nation, the ruling political-electoral platform in Congo, told Anadolu the Congolese government will require strict application of the agreement in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2773 adopted on Feb. 21.

The resolution condemns Rwanda for its support for the M23 rebel offensive in the eastern Congo and calls for the “immediate” withdrawal of its troops.

“The presence of the Rwandan army on Congolese soil has been documented in several UN reports. The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions. There is a need for the international community to get involved for the respect and implementation of the agreement signed between the Congo and Rwanda,” Mbata told Anadolu.

Christian Shauri, an official at Ituri civil society group, said a lot needs to be done including mobilizing citizens, raising awareness and collaboration to ensure the agreement is not a dead document.

- 'Fears appear to have been well-founded'

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege dismissed the negotiation and final deal as dictated by economic and financial interests foreign to those of the Congolese population.

“Our fears appear to have been well-founded, as this agreement is not based on the American mediator's recognition that there is an aggressor state, Rwanda, which defies international law every day with total impunity, and an attacked country, the DRC, which is suffering the full brunt of the harmful effects of cynical geopolitics,” he said in a statement posted on X.

Analysts believe the US is hiding behind a peace initiative for resource exploitation.

The vast country is endowed with enormous natural resources.

About 70% of the world’s reserves of coltan, a precious mineral used to manufacture mobile telephones, and 30% of the world’s diamonds, huge quantities of bauxite, cobalt and copper are found in Congo.

“The US and those western countries have their own interest; since the independence of African countries, their agenda has never changed ... for Trump, it is America first,” said Gitinywa.

Mukwege argued that while the peace agreement appears to be based on respect for territorial integrity and provides for the cessation of hostilities between Congo and Rwanda, and both parties to the conflict are required to commit to no longer supporting armed groups – the FDLR on the Congolese side and the M23 on the Rwandan side – “various provisions show that the seeds of a prolonged conflict have already been planted.”

He underlined that the withdrawal of the Rwandan army from Congolese territory – which should be immediate and unconditional according to the requirements of UN Resolution 2773 – now seems to be conditional on the neutralization of the Rwandan rebels, FDLR, through a joint security mechanism (DRC/Rwanda) that authorizes the Rwandan army to operate on Congolese soil.

“Thus, we can say that by signing this agreement, the Kinshasa regime has abandoned its sovereignty to the forces of aggression, and legitimized the occupation and operations of an army that has caused millions of deaths, hundreds of thousands of raped women and the displacement of millions of Congolese,” he said.

“I regret to tell you that I have every reason to believe that the agreement signed in Washington does not bode well for a way out of the crisis for our suffering population.”

According to Mukwege, the actors involved should favor a multilateral approach, and combine calls for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of occupying forces with a firm timetable and strong, coordinated sanctions in the event of persistent non-compliance with Security Council Resolution 2773.