I know a lot of you are skeptical, and for good reason. The violent conflicts and political tension between Rwanda and Congo go back decades. Approximately six million people have died. Millions more have been displaced. Even without conflict, the region lacks stability for any number of reasons. But this time could be different
The peace deal that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio brokered may not solve these two countries’ problems instantly — and Rubio made that clear on Friday — but it’s a historic step in the right direction worthy of praise and attention. While previous presidents have sort of chipped away at the conflict in the region or ignored it completely, President Trump is going all in on lasting peace through real solutions. And if there has ever been a president who exemplifies the phrase “you can just do things,” he’s sitting in the Oval Office right now.
Something many people may not know is that the deal has been in the works for months. Back in April, Rubio sat down with the foreign ministers of both countries to witness the signing of a Declaration of Principles that “was developed over three days of constructive dialogue regarding political, security, and economic interests.” It included “provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities; disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups; establishment of a Joint Security Coordination Mechanism that incorporates the CONOPS of October 31, 2024; facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as humanitarian access; and a regional economic integration framework.”
And on Friday, the three came together again at the State Department to sign the actual peace agreement that will build on the declaration. “I’m honored to be joined by my counterparts from the Democratic Republic of Congo and from Rwanda, and the hard work you both put in to make this happen. This was not easy. And there’s still work to be done, obviously, in terms of implementation,” Rubio said.
He later acknowledged how strongly Trump feels about bringing peace to the world: “This is an important moment after 30 years of war. President Trump is a president of peace. He really does want peace. He prioritizes it above all else. We saw his intervention in the conflict between India and Pakistan. We saw his intervention as most recently as a few days ago, in a very dangerous war, right, a very dangerous war that could have really spiraled out of control. And his intervention made that possible. And there are other places that we want to see this.”
Rubio also added that moments like this are why he wanted the job of Secretary of State and why the deal is not just good for Congo and Rwanda, but why it’s also good for the United States.
And just thinking – we think sometimes about peace. It’s not just about ending wars; it’s about – and it’s not just about saving lives. It’s about allowing people to live. It’s about allowing people to now have dreams and hopes for a better life, for prosperity, for economic opportunity, for family reunification – for all of the things that make life worth living. Those things become impossible when there’s war and when there’s conflict.
So we’re grateful to have played the role we’ve played. We acknowledge and recognize there’s still more work to be done. But we thank you all very much for being a part of this historic and important day. This is really why I wanted this job, or why I embraced this job so much, is moments like this. This is the – in essence the Department of State is really the department of peace. It’s designed to bring people together, both in our relations with other countries, but to the extent we can use the stature and the influence of the United States, to bring others together. It makes the world a better place. And I honestly believe that when there’s peace in the world among friends who may have disagreements and conflict, it does help make America stronger and safer and more prosperous. It gives us partners we can do business with and partners that we can work with to address insecurity and threats to our national security and to our collective national security.
Something he didn’t mention is that peace in this region, as well as a good diplomatic relationship, can benefit all economies involved. These countries are rich with minerals that are vital to our economy, and the partnership could help bring economic prosperity to that region, though Trump and the foreign leaders brought that up later at the White House.
Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and the two African foreign ministers met with Trump in the Oval Office after the signing, and both Vance and Rubio reiterated how strongly the president feels about bringing peace to the world. But it was the words of the foreign ministers and a reporter who happened to be there that really put everything into perspective.
Congo’s Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner thanked President Trump sincerely, asking him to “Stay committed, stay on board.” She added, “We need the United States to make sure that this agreement holds and that you hold us accountable.. If you stay on board, I think there are so many perspectives that we can transform our partnerships through and that can usher in an era of prosperity, of growth, and of shared bilateral relationships that go well beyond the challenges that we share together and that can at least or finally focus on the potential and of the wealth that we can share.”
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told President Trump that “there has been many mediation, facilitation in the past, but none of them succeeded, and we believe that just because of your leadership and your steadfast commitment to this process, with also a new approach of economic integration, regional economic integration, which is important to allow Rwanda and DRC working together… with the U.S. standing side by side with Rwanda and DRC, we believe that we will achieve long time, peace. And we also believe that…it’s important for the United States to stay committed. Because today we signed, but now…we need to implement what we have signed in order to open this new era you were talking about of prosperity, so that we can reap the economic dividend of peace.”
And journalist Hariana Veras, who just came home from a trip to Congo, truly stole the show:
So I just arrived from Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo yesterday. I went to see firsthand how the peoples is feeling and the president’s message, President Félix Tshisekedi, about this upcoming peace deal. And let me tell you firsthand what I’ve witnessed myself. I spoke with the people in the street. I spoke with youth. They know your name. They know that a president named President Trump is working hard to finally bring peace to the country.
I saw hope. They have hope now for a better day in Congo. They see what you’re doing as a future, better future for Congo. And I had opportunity to sit down with President Félix Tshisekedi for an interview because I want to understand his mind, what’s his thinking, his feeling about everything that your administration is doing.
And he told me firsthand that for many years, many American presidents overlooked this conflict. They didn’t do nothing. Even myself, I cover President Biden’s administration. I press many time about this conflict. People are dying in Congo. This country has so much potential, but they need help because this war is destroying the country.
They never gave me any answer. And he told me, President Tshisekedi, that he’s very… You have no idea. He’s very thankful for what you’re doing, for what your administration doing. Not only him, the entire Congolese people, they see that finally they will have hope. And President Tshisekedi also mention at the end of my interview that when peace finally come to Democrat Republic of the Congo, he’s thinking to nominate you as a Nobel Prize Peace, because he said you deserve.
You have been working to bring peace in the, in the world, not only at the Congo, and he’s very hopeful to meet you in the future.
You can see her full remarks here, as well as the president’s response. It’s worth a watch, in my opinion.
WATCH: Reporter @HarianaVeras—a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and White House reporter—discusses what she’s seen on the ground in the DRC upon news of the peace agreement, brokered by the Trump Administration:
“They have hope now, for a better day in Congo.” pic.twitter.com/OZ02KDop3G
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 27, 2025
So will it all work out? Only time will tell, but if anyone can make it happen, I think President Trump and Secretary Rubio are the men to do it. I don’t believe either of them is naive enough to think that signing this agreement is a magic wand that suddenly sets things right, but I know there has been a lot of ongoing work behind the scenes that has involved numerous diplomats and leaders from numerous countries, and that will most certainly continue.
Rwandan troops are set to withdraw from Congo within 90 days, and Trump said there will be “very severe penalties, financial and otherwise” if the agreements are violated. The president also gave the foreign ministers letters inviting Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame to the White House. They’re expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., in a few weeks to finalize the agreements.
During the Oval Office meeting, a reporter asked President Trump, “Do you think the mainstream media will finally give you credit for securing such a historic peace agreement?” Of course, he said no. “The media will never give me credit, but the people will give me credit. That’s more important to me.”
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