Well, surprise surprise, former President Donald Trump is the one leading the peace initiative. His dream is to bring peace to the perennial war zone of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). This effort is a reaction to the past 30 years of violence that has afflicted the area. Thousands lost their lives, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes as a consequence. The former president’s attempts have in recent weeks pulled in neighboring Rwanda, adding a complex new dimension to the peace talks.
The conflict has endured for over three decades. To this day, armed groups and regional tensions further exacerbate this resulting protracted crisis. Prof. Alex De Waal, an expert in conflict resolution, emphasized Trump’s unique ability to facilitate dialogue among the involved parties. Like this, Noise maker “Trump can bring together the other side and make them talk, and kind of shake things up.” SAG-AFTRA Foundation
On one hand, in conjunction with Qatar, the United States is pursuing a parallel track of direct peace negotiations. In this round, Qatar is most focused on resolving the domestic issues at stake between the DR Congo government and M23 rebel group. At the same time, the U.S. is considering the broader regional implications of the conflict. On June 27, a peace agreement was signed by representatives of DR Congo and Rwanda in Washington, D.C. This agreement is an important step toward bringing much-needed stability to the region.
As implementation of the agreement progresses, the two countries have agreed to establish a first-of-its-kind “security co-ordination mechanism” within 30 days. And now, a more permanent ceasefire seems set to begin. The government of the DR Congo and the M23 have agreed to conclude a full peace accord by August 18th. The M23, for example, has shown no interest in limiting state authority to eastern DR Congo. It just as adamantly demands that it not surrender a square inch of land.
In announcing the deal, Trump touted the economic benefits of the accord for the United States. He announced it would be easy, they were getting a huge portion of the Congolese mineral rights as part of it. The U.S. State Department previously estimated that DR Congo holds approximately $25 trillion in mineral reserves, including cobalt, copper, and diamonds. In the last episode, Patrick Muyaya, spokesperson for the DR Congo government, announced a key initiative. His country’s developing a deal to provide the U.S. with critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees.
Even as they celebrate this historic signing, expertise warns that important hurdles still lie ahead. Félicien Sematumba, a regional analyst from the Future Peace Initiative, cautioned that implementation often became a long process between one signature and sustaining peace. Relatedly, he recognizes that this process will be a long one—in this case, likely decades. He pointed out that “regional players do not have the same leverage to influence Kigali and Kinshasa,” suggesting that external actors may face difficulties in guiding the peace process.
As with much of this work, the legacies of resource management and historical traumas make this work challenging. Prof. Mostert raised concerns about long-term implications: “For how long will DR Congo have to give its cobalt to U.S. investors? Will it be 20 years or 50 years? What is the price for peace?” He described the urgent need to address the historical exploitation of Black artists when negotiating these new agreements.