By Tiamiyu Arobani
The U.S. has mediated peace talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda as part of a process of ending the violent conflict in DRC.
This is contained in the text of a joint statement released on Wednesday by the Governments of the United States, the DRC and the Republic of Rwanda.
The Office of the Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State, said the peace talks held this week in Washington, D.C. and Observed by the State of Qatar.
“On June 18, technical teams from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda initialed the text of the Peace Agreement,” the statement read.
The department added that the peace talks were “in preparation for the Ministerial signing of the Peace Agreement on June 27, 2025, to be witnessed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio”.
“Building on the Declaration of Principles signed on April 25, 2025, the Agreement was developed over three days of constructive dialogue regarding political, security, and economic interests.”
The Agreement includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities, according to the statement.
The agreement also included the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups.
It further added that the agreement provided for the establishment of a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism that incorporates the CONOPS of October 31, 2024.
It provided for the facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as humanitarian access; and a regional economic integration framework.
“As part of the ongoing coordination between the facilitation efforts of the United States of America and the State of Qatar, the State of Qatar participated in these discussions,” it said.
It added that the participation of Qatar was to ensure complementarity and alignment between both countries’ initiatives aimed at dialogue and peace in the region.
“Both the DRC and Rwanda expressed their appreciation for the valuable contributions and joint efforts of the United States and Qatar as partners in advancing a peaceful resolution.
“We look forward to the subsequent Summit of the Heads of State in Washington, D.C. to further advance peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the Great Lakes region,” the statement read.
The peace talks was witnessed by U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker.
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