Congo, Rwanda signs peace agreement to end the battle – and helps us get into key minerals
Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement on Friday that was promoted by the United States to help end decades of deadly battles in eastern Congo, while helping the U.S. government and U.S. companies acquire key minerals in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “an important moment after 30 years of war.” Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a press conference that he was able to make a deal for “one of the worst wars anyone has ever seen.”
“I was able to bring them together and sell them,” Trump said. “Not only that, we have obtained a lot of mineral rights from Congo.”
The agreement is touted as an important step in national peace in the central Congolese country, where conflicts with more than 100 most effective armed groups in Rwanda have killed millions of dollars since the 1990s.
It is also the core of the key minerals Trump needs to push into most of the world’s technology as the United States and China are actively competing for African influence.
Analysts see the deal as a major turning point, but do not believe it will end the battle quickly. The agreement deals with provisions on territorial integrity and provisions prohibiting hostilities and disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-State armed groups.
Peace agreements are unlikely to end conflict quickly
The Rwanda-backed rebel group, the most prominent armed group in the conflict, has brought the bodies in the streets at a major step earlier this year.
The United Nations will be displaced by 7 million people, calling it “one of the most lasting, most complex, and serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”
Congo hopes the United States will have the security support needed to fight the insurgents and could quit them from the main cities of Goma and Bukavo, as well as the entire area from Rwanda with an estimated 4,000 soldiers. Rwanda said it is defending its territorial interests without supporting M23.
The M23 rebels suggested that the agreement was not binding on them. The rebel group has not been directly involved in the planned peace agreement, although it is part of other ongoing peace negotiations.
Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance (Corneille Nangaa), known for its French acronym AFC), which includes M23, told the Associated Press in March that the peace talks directly with the Congo only exist when the country acknowledges their dissatisfaction and “there is any objection to us about anything we do.”
M23 spokesman Oscar Balinda also responded to these ideas in an interview with AP this week, saying the joint Chile deal had nothing to do with the rebels.
Rwanda has also been accused of using minerals from eastern Congo, and a trend analyst said it would be difficult for Rwanda not to participate in the region in any way. Smartphones, advanced fighters, and more.
In a December report, the UN team of experts alleged that “fraudulent withdrawals, transactions and exports to Rwanda [Congo] Minerals benefit AFC/M23 and the Rwandan economy. “Rwanda denies being involved in the Congo mining industry.
The deal is also the core of the U.S. government's efforts to oppose Africa China. For many years, Chinese companies have been one of the major players in the Congolese mining sector. Chinese cobalt refineries, which make up the majority of global supply, rely heavily on Congo.
Why did Donald Trump come after Canada's key minerals? Then, despite the decline in inflation, interest rates and steady employment, more and more Canadians are lacking in payments for loans and mortgages. Andrew Chang explained why.
“Happy Proposition of Trigger”
Analysts say the U.S. commitment may depend on access to minerals discussed in separate negotiations between the U.S. and the Congolese government.
The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that our main undeveloped minerals are worth up to $24 trillion.
Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank DYPOL, called the deal a “main turning point” in a decades-long conflict, but said the signing “will never eliminate all conflict issues.”
“The current draft agreement ignores war crimes and justice by establishing a partnership between victims and aggressors,” he said. “This seems to be an inducing claim that lasting peace cannot be established without justice and reparations.”
The North Kivu Province in Congo has been hit hardest by the fight, with some believing that peace agreements will help resolve violence, but warns that judicial justice must still be lasting for lasting peace.
“I don't think Americans should be 100% trust,” said Hope Muhinuka, an activist in the province. “It's up to us to take advantage of everything we have now.”
The conflict dates back to the consequences of the genocide of Rwanda in 1994, where Hutu militias were killed among the Tutsi of 500,000 to 1 million peoples, as well as the moderate Hutus and TWA indigenous peoples. When Tutsi-led troops counterattacked, nearly 2 million Hutus crossed the Congo, fearing revenge.
Rwandan authorities accused Hutes of fleeing genocide and claimed that elements of the Congolese army protected them. They believe that the militia formed by a small portion of the Xiaohutu people is a threat to the Tutsi population in Rwanda.
The World Food Program warns of a shortage of food, cleaning water and medical supplies in Goma, eastern Congo, where the wave of battle displaces thousands and destroys supply chains.
