The leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are meeting in Washington to endorse two long-negotiated agreements, in a United States-backed push to revive a fragile peace process. The summit comes amid ongoing violence in eastern DRC and an atmosphere of mistrust, making progress uncertain.
The aim of the meeting on Thursday between DRC's President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame aims to ratify two agreements already signed by their teams.
However, with the security situation in eastern DRC still unstable, the two leaders have barely exchanged a word in months.
The summit, convened by the US, will take place with several African leaders present as witnesses – and, in some cases, potential partners in a future regional arrangement. Washington hopes this collective presence will help stabilise a process that, so far, has been long on ambition and short on trust.
DRC and Rwanda hold fresh talks in Washington to revive fragile peace deal
Eight months of diplomacy
On 25 April, Kinshasa and Kigali endorsed a "declaration of principles" – a roadmap setting out the scope of talks, with the ultimate goal of ending the border conflict that has plagued DRC's North and South Kivu provinces for years.
Signed in front of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, it opened the door to more detailed negotiations.
Those talks culminated in the 27 June peace agreement, reached after difficult exchanges and formalised in front of US President Donald Trump.
This agreement stipulated a second, essential component – a regional economic integration framework designed to lock in peace through cooperation and shared development. That framework arrived on 7 November, setting out proposed joint projects, policy areas and a timeline.
Rwanda’s parliament has since ratified the June agreement, and both sides consider the November framework ready to activate.
Thursday's Washington meeting is therefore less about renegotiating and more about securing the full package. The US intends to sign bilateral agreements with each country afterwards, creating what the Trump administration has dubbed the "Washington agreements".
Congo and M23 rebels agree to form ceasefire monitoring body
'We do not trade with someone we distrust'
Kagame and Tshisekedi, however, have reportedly not spoken in months. Kigali has been blunt in rejecting Tshisekedi’s attempts at outreach, accusing Kinshasa of failing to honour previous mechanisms and warning that regional backing should not be taken for granted.
In late November, Kagame expressed doubt that the process was near completion. Rwanda’s position remains that Kinshasa has a track record of ignoring previous agreements.
The Congolese position has also shifted. In mid-November, Communication Minister Patrick Muyaya told RFI that Tshisekedi would not travel to Washington unless Rwanda had begun withdrawing its troops.
That wording has since softened, but Tshisekedi has hardened his stance in another direction. Rwanda, he says, cannot be fully integrated into the economic framework until its troops have left Congolese soil and trust has been rebuilt.
Speaking to the Congolese diaspora in Belgrade just days before the summit, Tshisekedi laid out his "strategic vision". He reminded his audience that regional economic integration has been part of his agenda since 2019 – a way, he said, of "developing together" with neighbouring states.
But, he insisted, such cooperation is impossible without trust. ‘We do not trade with someone we distrust,’ he said, stressing that the deal with Rwanda will only come into force if genuine peace is achieved.
A ceasefire arrangement between Kinshasa and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group has existed on paper since October, yet clashes continue.
Security Council Resolution 2773, adopted in February 2025, called for a troop withdrawal but has never been implemented.
On Thursday, Trump will welcome each president to Washington separately before bringing them together for a joint ceremony.
M23, DR Congo ink fresh framework agreement for a peace deal in Doha
Parallel process in Doha
Running alongside the Washington talks is a second negotiation track in Qatar with the Rwandan-backed armed group M23.
On 15 November, Kinshasa and the M23 group signed a framework agreement that incorporates two protocols – one on verifying the ceasefire and another on prisoner exchanges.
Fighting continues on the ground in eastern DRC, with the M23 describing the situation as "catastrophic".
This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Patient Ligodi.
