Trump hosting the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to sign key deal for peace in eastern Congo

By CHINEDU ASADU RUTH ALONGA and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press GOMA Congo AP U S President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Congo and Rwanda on Thursday for a deal signing aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening access to the region s critical minerals for the U S authorities and American companies Lauded by the White House as a historic agreement brokered by Trump the so-called Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity between Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of Congo and Paul Kagame of Rwanda follows monthslong peace efforts by the U S and partners including the African Union and Qatar and finalizes an earlier deal signed in June The Central African nation of Congo has been battered by decadeslong fighting with more than armed groups the the majority potent being the Rwanda-backed M rebels The conflict escalated this year with M seizing the region s main cities of Goma and Bukavu in an unprecedented advance worsening a humanitarian problem that was already one of the world s largest with millions displaced We are still at war Fighting meanwhile continued this week in the conflict-battered region with pockets of clashes published between the rebels and Congolese soldiers together with their allied forces Trump has often revealed that his mediation has ended the conflict which a few people in Congo say isn t true FILE M rebels enter the centre of east Congo s second-largest city Bukavu and take control of the South Kivu province administrative office Sunday Feb AP Photo Janvier Barhahiga File Analysts say Thursday s deal also isn t expected to rapidly upshot in peace A separate peace deal has been signed between Congo and the M We are still at war commented Amani Chibalonza Edith a -year-old resident of Goma eastern Congo s key city seized by rebels early this year There can be no peace as long as the front lines remain current Rare earth minerals Thursday s pact will also build on a Regional Economic Integration Framework that functionaries have announced will define the terms of economic partnerships involving the three countries as agreed upon in November In search of approaches to circumvent China in acquiring rare earth minerals the Trump administration has capitalized on Congo s need for defense advocacy to gain access to its minerals which are essential to manufacturing fighter jets cellphones and more and dominated by China China already accounts for nearly of the world s rare earth mining and controls roughly of its processing globally Trump is expected to hold separate meetings with both Congolese and Rwandan leaders before three-way talks followed by the signing scheduled to take place at the U S Institute of Peace in Washington Several African leaders are expected to attend the signing The U S Chamber of Commerce will on Thursday also host an event that will bring together American business leaders The Congolese and Rwandan delegations will focus on promising funding opportunities in critical minerals potential and tourism according to Yolande Makolo a senior adviser to Kagame Ongoing clashes In eastern Congo meanwhile residents revealed pockets of clashes and rebel advances in various localities Both the M and Congolese forces have often accused each other of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreed earlier this year Related Articles Affordable Care Act premiums are set to spike A new poll shows enrollees are already struggling Putin says there are points he can t agree to in the US proposal to end Russia s war against Ukraine Healey blasts Trump on threat to withhold SNAP funding won t provide information Trump is fighting the Institute of Peace in court Now his name is on the building Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visits Republicans as debate over intensifying AI race rages In the central plateaus across South Kivu province fighting continued in current weeks with thousands often on the run The hardship in the aftermath of the conflict has also worsened following U S funding cuts that were crucial for aid sponsorship in the conflict In rebel-held Goma which had around million people and was a regional hub for shield and humanitarian efforts before this year s escalation of fighting the international airport is still closed establishment services such as bank operations are yet to resume and residents have published a surge in crimes and in the prices of goods We are waiting to see what will happen because so far both sides continue to clash and attack each other stated Moise Bauma a -year-old candidate in rebel-held Bukavu city Both Congo and Rwanda meanwhile have touted American involvement as a key step towards peace in the region We need that attention from the administration to continue to get to where we need to get to Makolo mentioned We are under no illusion that this is going to be easy This is not the end but it s a good step Conflict s cause The conflict can be traced to the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda where Hutu militias killed between and million ethnic Tutsi as well as moderate Hutus and Twa Indigenous people When Tutsi-led forces fought back nearly million Hutus crossed into Congo fearing reprisals Rwandan officers have accused the Hutus who fled of participating in the genocide and alleged that elements of the Congolese army protected them They have argued that the militias formed by a small fraction of the Hutus are a threat to Rwanda s Tutsi population Congo s establishment has noted there can t be permanent peace if Rwanda doesn t withdraw its patronage troops and other sponsorship for the M in the region Rwanda on the other hand has conditioned a permanent ceasefire on Congo dissolving a local militia that it commented is made up of the Hutus and is fighting with the Congolese military U N experts have reported that between and Rwandan regime forces are deployed in eastern Congo operating alongside the M Rwanda denies such assistance but says any action taken in the conflict is to protect its territory Chinedu Asadu shared from Abuja Nigeria and Aamer Madhani from Washington Justin Kabumba contributed to this review from Goma