U.S. Facilitates DRC-Rwanda Deal Amid Regional Skepticism

President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda at the White House to sign a bilateral agreement. The deal aims to ease the long-running conflict in eastern DRC and improve U.S. access to the region’s critical minerals. The event allows President Trump to promote his role as an international peacemaker. He has often praised his own efforts to resolve global conflicts. However, regional experts express deep doubt. Thierry Vircoulon, an Africa researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, says the Washington ceremony is disconnected from realities on the ground. In eastern DRC’s Kivu region, armed conflict continues. Local military and political actors have already rejected the relevance of the U.S.-brokered deal.