Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have
agreed to draft a peace deal by May 2.
The agreement commits to respecting each other’s sovereignty
and refraining from providing military support to armed groups.
Rwanda maintains a significant military presence in eastern
DRC, drawing ire from its neighbouring French-speaking country.
The Rwandan government argues that its troops in the DRC are
necessary to protect Rwanda from hostile armed groups operating in eastern DRC.
Rwanda has also been widely accused by the DRC government
and international observers, including the United States and the United
Nations, of backing the M23 rebel group that has terrorised the DRC for years —
an allegation it has repeatedly denied.
Thousands have been killed in the conflict that has raged
along the border of both countries since it was renewed in January.
Therese Wagner, DRC foreign minister, and Olivier
Nduhungirehe, her Rwandan counterpart, signed the agreement in Washington DC on
Friday.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Marco Rubio, US
secretary of state.
The agreement said the foreign ministers “commit to
coordinating through existing channels to generate an initial draft peace
agreement for the Participants’ mutual review no later than May 2”.
Meanwhile, in a surprise announcement on Wednesday, the DRC
and M23 rebels said they had agreed to halt fighting while working towards a
permanent truce.
Both parties had previously engaged in peace talks.
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