President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda at the White House Friday afternoon after Secretary of State Marco Rubio presided over their signing of a peace agreement aiming to end decades-old unrest.
The countries border each other in the heart of Africa and have been at war for 30 years for reasons rooted in the Rwandan genocide. The violence between Rwandan and DRC militant groups, and at times other African states, has resulted in approximately six million deaths, according to some estimates. The U.S. mediated the agreement, which aims to end fighting in the eastern Congo while also securing access to more critical minerals for the U.S.
“We engaged with the two parties in early April, and within three weeks, they signed the declaration of principles. And now, within about two months from that, we have signed today the final peace agreement,” said Massad Boulos, the senior advisor for Africa at the U.S. Department of State.
The visit comes on the heels of Trump’s second declaration of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel that appears to be holding, even though both countries broke the first one Tuesday. Trump has taken credit for ending what he calls the ‘12-Day War’ between the two countries, citing both Saturday’s U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and his calls for a ceasefire – and many of his supporters agree.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-GA, nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week for his action in the conflict.
Pakistan also nominated the president for the prize for his intervention in its conflict with India. After an initial attack by Pakistan that left 26 dead in India, followed by retaliation from India, it appeared the two nuclear-armed countries were headed for war. But the two agreed to sign a ceasefire deal after diplomatic efforts from Trump, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. An African reporter at the White House Friday told Trump that the DRC president is considering nominating him as well. Trump has been nominated before for the Abraham Accords but has not been selected.
Foreign affairs have played an outsized role in the first roughly five months of the president’s second term, as the Russia-Ukraine war rages on, Pakistan and India seemed headed for war, Israel and Gaza continue to fight, and most recently, Israel and Iran traded blows. The president has urged ceasefires in each case and appealed for a lasting end to all the conflicts.
