US pushes for June peace deal between Rwanda and Congo

13/6/2025 6:31

The United States is

pressing for swift progress in peace negotiations between Rwanda

and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with a senior U.S.

diplomat underscoring an “extremely aggressive timeline” for a

potential agreement as early as June or July.



Troy Fitrell, U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region

of Africa, said during an online conference this week that

technical teams are working to move the process forward.



“This coming week, we do have technical teams here to try to

get to the next stage,” Fitrell said. “We’ve done these

principles. Now we have been arguing about putting these

principles into action. We are still shooting for a June or July

peace agreement.”



“There is no sense fooling around on this. If we are going

to do it, we do it now,” he added, emphasizing Washington’s push

to accelerate negotiations.



A planned meeting in May between the foreign ministers of

Rwanda and the DRC did not take place, highlighting ongoing

tensions and the fragility of the peace process.



In a separate but parallel mediation effort in Doha,

delegations from the Congolese government and the M23 rebel

group have been recalled for further talks following

consultations this week, sources from both sides told Reuters.



The Qatar-led process is seen as a complementary track aimed

at addressing the armed conflict in eastern Congo, where M23

rebels have seized territory in recent months.



Despite regional and international efforts, mistrust remains

deep between Kinshasa and Kigali. The DRC accuses Rwanda of

supporting M23, a charge Rwanda denies.



The U.S. has played a growing role in trying to bridge

differences, but diplomats caution that achieving a durable

settlement will require political will on all sides.