The president says the US is getting a lot of mineral rights from the agreement between Rwanda and the DR Congo

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have signed a peaceagreementto end a decades-long conflict, which US President Donald Trump says gives the US rights to local mineral wealth.

Congolese officials have long accused Rwanda of backing militant groups in the mineral-rich eastern DR Congo and smuggling resources. Tensions escalated after M23 militants seized mining hubs, including Goma and Bukavu, reportedly killing thousands. Kigali denied supporting militants, despite UN and international backing for Kinshasa's claims.

The agreement was signed on Friday in Washington by both nations' foreign ministers and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It pledges a 90-day Rwandan troop withdrawal from the DR Congo, outlines disarmament and reintegration steps, and sets up a joint security mechanism.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe called the deal a "turning point." The DR Congo's Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, however, was more cautious, saying it must be followed by disengagement.

The agreement also creates a "regional economic integration framework" linking Rwanda, DR Congo, and the US.

Trump, speaking ahead of the signing, said the deal would give the US "a lot of the mineral rights from the [Democratic Republic of] Congo." While no specific transfers are mentioned in the text, the agreement promises to "expand foreign trade and investment" in regional mineral supply chains and launch joint end-to-end "mineral value chains" that "link" both countries with the US government and US investors within three months.

Sources told Reuters that a separate agreement securing new US rights to Congolese minerals is expected at a later date. It reportedly depends on the outcome of Qatar-mediated talks between the DR Congo and M23 in Doha. The talks are separate from US mediation but are seen as key to ending the hostilities, as they involve direct negotiations with M23, a prominent armed group in the region. Qatar reportedly presented a draft peace plan to the DR Congo and M23 earlier this month, with both sides expected to consult their leaders before resuming talks.

The mineral-rich region holds the world's largest cobalt reserves, and contains significant deposits of gold, lithium, copper, and coltan. Following the signing, Trump hosted both African envoys in the Oval Office and invited their presidents, Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, to Washington for a future round of agreements.

The deal is part of Trump's broader push to secure critical mineral access by any means, even through conflict mediation efforts. On Thursday, the US struck a deal with China toresumerare-earth exports, which were frozen amid a tariff standoff. The Rwanda-DR Congo agreement also follows another Trump-linkedminerals dealwith Kiev in April, which was presented as repayment for past US aid in Ukraine's conflict with Russia. Though the repayment clause was dropped from the final agreement, Trump said the US could "in theory" recover "much more" than it spent.

(RT.com)