Trump signs 'historic' peace agreement with Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo after 30 years of conflict

Donald Trump hosted the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to sign the peace deal announced in June. Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi accompanied the president at an event held at the American Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., recently renamed by the State Department as 'Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace'.

While the United States was outside the conflict between the two African nations, the Trump Administration decided to get involved as early as January of this year. Finally, after months of negotiations, the mediation ended with a peace agreement.

The president received Tshisekedi (DRC) and Kagame (Rwanda), as well as emissaries from other countries on the African continent, who wanted to be present to witness the signing of the agreement.

"We have come to the U.S. Institute of Peace to sign a historic agreement that will end one of the longest-running conflicts anywhere in the world with far more than 10 million people killed. Today, we commit to stopping decades of violence and bloodshed and to begin a new era of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda," Trump said during the event. 

"For more than thirty years, one of the worst conflicts on earth has been raging in Eastern Congo. Millions and millions of people have been tragically killed, went on forever, and countless more have been displaced from their homes. Families have been destroyed. It's been a disaster. (...) And today, we're succeeding where so many others have failed, and this has become the eighth war that we've ended in less than one year. Such an exciting thing to do. This has been - a really - because we're talking about thirty years of fighting," he added.

For their part, African leaders thanked the Republican for his mediation work, stressing that his intervention came as a surprise.

"The biggest word of thanks goes to President Donald Trump. No one was asking President Trump to take up this task. Our region is far from the headlines, but when the president saw the opportunity to contribute to peace, he immediately took it," the Rwandan president said for his part.

The agreement, defined by the Congolese president as a "new chapter of stability," includes the following: Rwanda withdrawing its troops from eastern DRC; joint security mechanisms; disarmament or conditional integration of non-state armed groups; respect for territorial integrity; and openness to regional economic cooperation.

In addition, Trump summarized the 'Washington Accords' as "a permanent ceasefire, the disarmament of non-state forces, provisions for refugees to return to their homes, and justice and accountability for those who have committed illegal atrocities."

In turn, as part of the agreement, the United States will gain access to critical minerals in the region, such as lithium, gold and cobalt.