'The hardest part has been done': Trump assures that his government is close to closing a peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo
The president said Massad Boulos, the Department of State’s Africa adviser, did an "unbelievable" job during diplomatic negotiations.
Trump made the remarks during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
In the midst of the protracted and violent conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, President Donald Trump asserted that his administration is close to finalizing a peace agreement between the two African nations, with direct mediation from Washington.
His statements came during a meeting in the Oval Office with South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, a couple of days after Reuters reported that the U.S. government is not only seeking to curb the armed conflict between the two countries, but also to set up an economic scheme that would allow Rwanda to process minerals extracted from eastern Congo legally.
During the meeting with the South African president, which at times became very tense, Trump referred to the "unbelievable job" of Massad Boulos, State Department adviser for Africa and father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany, who led the diplomatic efforts between the two countries.
"I have nothing to do with Rwanda and the Congo, but I felt I had a very talented person in this administration and I sent him there, and he did an unbelievable job, I think, I mean we're going to find out, but he's done the hardest part of the job, it should happen," Trump said, referring to the possible peace deal.
According to the New York Times, Boulos, who was present at Trump and Ramaphosa's meeting, said that both Rwanda and Congo already submitted drafts of an agreement that were evaluated and unified by the U.S. team. The document is in the finalization stage.
The armed conflict between Congo and Rwanda, fueled for decades by ethnic tensions, territorial disputes and control of natural resources, flared up in 2021 with the offensive of armed groups such as the Rwandan-backed M23.
Trump insisted that, although it is not a conflict directly involving the United States, his priority is to "save lives" regardless of the region where the conflict is.
"If I can save lives, I want to save lives. If it's in Africa, great; if it's in Europe, wherever it is. It's a very small investment compared to the consequences," he said.
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