US President Donald Trump has moved forward with what he describes as another major diplomatic breakthrough. Yet the situation on the ground tells a very different story.
Trump is set to host Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi in Washington to sign a new peace deal.
However, heavy fighting continues in eastern DR Congo, where the M23 rebel group has been gaining significant ground.
The meeting will hold at the Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace. Trump previously shut the institute down under his cost-cutting measures, but he has now repositioned it as a venue for international diplomacy.
The White House insists that the agreement will bring an end to hostilities, although the conflict has intensified in recent weeks.
Local officials reported fresh attacks on Wednesday. Rene Chubaka Kalembire, an administrative official in Kaziba, confirmed that several homes were destroyed.
He also added that many civilians were killed during the latest confrontations.
His account paints a harsh reality that clashes with the optimistic tone coming from Washington.
The conflict escalated sharply in late January when M23 fighters seized the major cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Despite a ceasefire announcement in June, both the Congolese government and the M23 rebels have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.
Although Rwanda has been consistently linked to M23, the rebel group continues to deny any ties to Kigali.
Trump has highlighted the DR Congo conflict as one of the wars he claims to have ended since returning to office in January.
He has also emphasised the strategic importance of controlling key minerals in the region.
DR Congo hosts more than half of the world’s cobalt, an essential component in electric vehicle batteries, along with vast deposits of copper and other critical minerals.
Kinshasa insists that the agreement with the United States will not amount to selling out its resources.
The Congolese government says the peace deal will come first, followed by a regional economic plan and a strategic partnership on natural resources.
Presidential spokesperson Tina Salama stressed that the deal is not a “peace for minerals” exchange, despite widespread speculation.
Meanwhile, Rwanda insists it will only halt its defensive operations if DR Congo successfully neutralises the FDLR, a Hutu rebel group with roots in the 1994 genocide.
Tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa remain extremely high. Rwanda previously accused the DRC of delaying the peace signing, while Kinshasa argues that Rwanda’s recent battlefield gains show bad faith.
Additionally, both countries are in separate discussions with the US regarding Trump’s aggressive migration policies.
Rwanda had earlier agreed to take in migrants from the UK before the plan was cancelled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
As Trump prepares to unveil the new peace agreement, the violence in eastern DR Congo continues to raise doubts.
Many observers fear that the deal may not survive the ongoing clashes.