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Boulevard du 30 Juin, Arret VodaCom, Gombe Division, Kinshasa.
Press statement on the signed peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda in Washington on Thursday December 4th, 2025. Will this new USA approach work and for how long?
On Thursday December 4th, 2025 we witnessed the first step forward by the signing of a peace deal between President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda under the hospices of President Donald Trump of the United States of America. It has taken us four years in order to reach to this step of mere signing, the peace deal has been highly applauded and emphasized by the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and all actors at the International Community, all these actors discouraged DRC to consider the war option but at the same they sympathized with Rwanda in its war agenda in DRC.
For the last four years since 2021, various actors have tried all their best in various negotiations in order to reach to this agreement but in vain because all the time Rwanda was pulling out. Now with the USA President Donald Trump, at least Rwanda has bowed the head and signed the peace deal which is highly appreciated and a great move from the United States of America.
For the last 30 years more than 10 million Congolese have been massacred by Rwanda, more than 5 million Congolese living as refugees in various countries, more than 13 million Congolese forced to live in Internally Displaced Camps, and the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union among other actors did not press hard in order to end this madness, on contrary they all understood that it was normal for Rwanda to attack innocent Congolese and control DRC territory in the name of self-defense against imaginary threat of FDLR. Instead of making pressure, all actors opted to cooperate with Rwanda in order to access minerals in eastern DRC, and this process, they are not FDLR that are a target of Rwanda in DRC but on contrary Congolese people.
President Donald Trump comes up with a new approach, the United States of America wants to pass directly through DRC authorities in order to access minerals but also at the same time made deals with Rwanda in order to access the same minerals Rwanda claims to have which President Trump stated “this economic deal will make a lot of money for us the USA, Rwanda and DRC”.
However with all that are being done, this peace deal may not be permanent because generally Rwanda main not gain so much in peace agreement which will position DRC able to control its borders and control its minerals and decide which ones should transit to Rwanda or not. The content of the peace deal is the same with what has been proposed for years by other actors and Rwanda could not accept it, what is unique is the presence of supper power, the USA which is not only considering Rwanda as the best ally in order to access minerals alone but make move directly to DRC as strategic partner, this what other actors failed to do.
The agreement does not address the root causes of the conflict according to Rwanda mainly the question of FDLR as it proposes only the neutralization and repatriation which we very well know are not the solutions to FDLR fighters, such approaches have been implemented over the years and did not work out. But also the agreement does not solve the nationality of Tutsi in DRC and their ownership of land which they do not have as per now.
But as per now, we have a foundation of what we can engage actors about and what we can ask them to observe, however this deal may not last long in case of the change of leadership in the United States of America. It may be important to note that peace for Congolese people is not exactly what has been proposed in the USA and that alone is another problem. For Congolese peace is when Rwanda goes totally out of DRC, and as you may recall, the economic integration is not much wanted by Congolese this is much wanted by Rwanda in order to survive and as long as justice is not done, we may not have peace.
The Democratic Republic of Congo under the current leadership of President Felix Tshisekedi has demonstrated its limit to defend the country and protect its people, true and lasting peace will be restored once the country will acquire a strong security service which may fully protect its borders and such strong security service will be the very foundation of peace deal with Rwanda.
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
National Youth Leader
The Democratic Republic of Congo has been at war since 1996 up to now. Externally the war is supported by neighboring countries mainly Uganda and Rwanda and internally there are so many armed groups. There are so many causes which we need to address in order to live a peaceful country. What is unique is that young people are the most involved directly in various conflicts and wars. Root causes range from the lack of faire system to access power especially the whole election process, the external influences in order to loot the minerals, the lack of a strong security service and the Army, the absence of the authority of the state in various places, the access and ownership of land, the lack of development activities, the colonial injustices and lack of peaceful resolutions of conflicts are among some causes.
We are so much involved in peace activities at each level and at the same time advocate for peace and conflict resolutions with all actors in order to create better opportunities for development.
On Saturday November 15th, 2025 the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reached a peace agreement with the rebels of Alliance Fleuve Congo/M23 which are backed by Rwanda on ending hostilities. This is the second initiative aiming at bringing peace in Eastern DRCongo, after the first peace deal between DRC and Rwanda in Washington USA.
We welcome the initiatives aiming at peace in the region and encourage the leaders to prioritize peaceful approaches for their differences and totally put to the end the strategy and culture of wars.
However we note the following in the peace agreements both in Qatar and Washington:
There is nothing much substantial reached upon different from what has existed before in terms of cooperation, economic development and security between the two countries mainly Rwanda and DRCongo, and this agreement is as the same as the one of the African Union spearheaded by Angola which Rwanda refused to sign in 2024. What have changed and which have led to this agreement is the actors especially the change of leadership in the United States of America which have now republican leaders. Generally when Republicans are in power in the USA, the war ends or it is stopped in eastern DRC, but resumed when Democrats take over power in the USA, in this way the war is only stopped for some few years until 2029 but not ended and the fate of Congolese in North Kivu and South Kivu will be determined by the new leadership in the USA in 20230.
Rwanda has been used to the practice of looting minerals in eastern DRCongo but now the agreement forces it to negotiate for these minerals and sometimes it will not get what it wants, that alone is the issue because the Congolese Communities along Minerals will not cooperate with Rwanda in this culture of looting. As long as both South Kivu and North Kivu will not be fully protected and well secured by the Central Government in terms of Army Capacity then, it is not possible to have peace yet DRC has so far failed to protect its borders for many years now. This war especially has been used as scapegoat from the Authorities in Kinshasa to justify their incapacity to work towards the development of the country and put in place strong measures to ensure the protection of the national territory, the end of the war will threaten this interest of the Congolese Authorities who now have to come up with other alternatives to justify their staying to power.
The other fundamental issues which Rwanda calls the root causes of the conflict and war in DRC since 1996 up to now have not been yet addressed mainly:
The Citizenship of Tutsi people in the Democratic Republic of Congo which requires the amendment of the Constitution, and which DRC has failed to do up to now. Even if the constitution is amended it will be difficult to introduce the citizenship of Tutsi because people still have fresh memories of various atrocities committed by Tutsi on local communities, such reforms may need a lot of time in order to take place and may require Tutsi to disappear completely from the political spheres in DRC for long. Such an issue to be fully debated may need 30 years from now. This also include the question of land for Tutsi and their political participation in the affairs of the country, but also their independence from Rwanda. They may be appointed in some offices and Government positions but they may not compete for electoral positions and that is the issue and a problem which has existed for long. As per now, it may be also a challenge to win elections in DRC if you are viewed as close to Tutsi.
The same Tutsi have clearly positioned towards Rwanda since 1971 up to now, it may be difficult to change that, and also it is the same with other conflicts in the border with Uganda. On top of that, we have the issue of ownership of Land, Tutsi in Rutshuru, Nyiragongo and Masisi Territories in North Kivu and Kalehe, Fizi, Uvira and Mwenga Territories in South Kivu have access to land which actually they acquired by the use of force through guns and grabbed it from other communities but they do not own the land in the above territories. The other tribes who claim the ownership of land are not willing anymore to give it to Tutsi and that may not change as quickly as possible. Even if we have peace agreements, we are likely to have in place wars and internal conflicts as it has been over the years which Rwanda will again use in order to justify military interventions in both South Kivu and North Kivu Provinces.
The problematic of Rwandan refugees in both South Kivu and North Kivu is also a root cause. Let us remind that two categories of Rwandan refugees are present in these two Provinces: Refugees of 1958-1960 and refugees of 1994 up today. The first group of refugees consider the current Rwanda Authorities as their own hopes and credible ally in order to acquire land by force and put their own leadership in areas they control, this justifies wars in both South Kivu and North Kivu over the years. The other category of Rwandan refugees who came in 1994 up to now, are generally opposed against Rwanda and formed the FDLR which wants dialogue in Rwanda in order to return. Generally FDLR operates in areas of both Kivu and this may justify why Rwanda Military Operations in Eastern DRC have been limited in both North Kivu and South Kivu since 2001 and concentrated in Territories which closer to Rwanda and which are believed to be strongholds of FDLR in DRCongo. The issue of FDLR also is not solved, it is a repetition of what has been done since 1996 up to now which did not yield fruits. Nothing has been included in order to solve the two demands of FDLR mainly the protection of Rwandan Hutu Refugees and the inclusive dialogue in Rwanda which may favor their return.
However it may be much easier for the Democratic Republic of Congo to introduce the refugee management system which may solve some of the problems, and on this we have proposed the New Refugee Bill which should explore options for the naturalization of some refugees but also this may not be done quickly. What may be possible is the better management of refugees and the promotion of their local integration in various communities for the next 10 years.
To make both peace deals too weak and too vulnerable various actors and stakeholders such as the Civil Society, Cultural Leaders, Religious Leaders, refugee representatives and community influential actors were not involved in the peace deals yet they are the very ones to implement the same peace deals.
So as per now, there is nothing solved, what we are only going see is the silence of guns and tensions between Rwanda and DRC but we shall have in place ethnic conflicts in North Kivu and in South Kivu over the issue of land.
DRC needs a strong military capacity which can protect the country and put in place a strong local administration in the above mentioned territories.
Thanks
Kulihoshi Musikami Pecos
Human Rights Defender, and National Team Leader of COJESKI-DRC
Tel: +243853191163
