Trump hails ‘great day for the world’ as DRC, Rwanda finalise peace deal

United States President Donald Trump has hosted the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to sign a peace deal that could end the conflict between the two countries.

Although the violence on the ground has not stopped, Trump hailed the US-brokered deal on Thursday as a new chapter for the region.“It is an amazing day: great day for Africa, great day for the world and for these two countries,” Trump said. “And they have so much to be proud of.”

The agreement was originally reached in June. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame had met in Qatar in March, initiating the talks that led to the deal.

Thursday’s ceremony finalises the accords.

The agreement has raised hopes of ending the conflict in the DRC, where the March 23 Movement (M23), a Rwanda-backed armed group, has been advancing deeper into the resource-rich east of the country.

The renewed violence had raised fears of a full-blown conflict, akin to the wars that the DRC endured in the late 1990s, which involved several African countries and killed millions of people.