Development StoryThe developed story,
The US-Qatar mediated peace agreement must involve withdrawal and the return of displaced people, the DRC says.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have signed a peace agreement in Washington, D.C. to end the long-standing battle between their neighboring countries.
Foreign ministers from two African countries, meeting at the US White House on Friday, signed a US-Qatar-brokered agreement.
The deal is hoping for an end to a battle that escalated with the advancement of the M23 rebels this year. The conflict has killed thousands since January and has driven out hundreds of thousands more.
“We believe we have reached a turning point with the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Ndungayre said in a signature.
Following the peace agreement, withdrawal, justice and the return of displaced people must be made, Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kykwamba Wagner added.
“This is a crucial moment 30 years after the war,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted two foreign ministers for signing at Washington’s State Department.
The deal will also help the US government and American companies have access to the critical minerals needed for many of the world’s technologies when the US and China are actively competing for influence in Africa.
Analysts see the deal as a major turning point, but they don’t think it will soon end the battle that has killed millions of people since the 1990s.
More coming…
