Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo are set to sign a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in Washington on Friday, raising hopes for an end to years of fighting that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
The agreement marks a breakthrough in talks held by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which aim to end the violence and bring billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, which is rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host the Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers at the Department of State for a signing ceremony on Friday afternoon, according to the State Department schedule. The ministers are set to meet with President Trump at the White House after the ceremony. A source familiar with the matter said another agreement on a regional economic integration framework – part of a push to bring Western investment to the region – would be signed by the heads of state at a separate White House event at an unspecified time. There is an understanding that progress in ongoing talks in Doha – a separate but parallel mediation effort with delegations from the Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group – is essential before the signing of the economic framework, the source said. Technical experts from the two countries initialed the draft peace agreement last week, saying it addressed issues related to territorial integrity, “a prohibition of hostilities” and the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups.
It also referred to a mechanism agreed as part of an earlier Angolan-backed peace effort to monitor and verify the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers within three months.

Full report : Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo set to sign peace agreement in Washington.