Congo (DRC) and Rwanda agree to ease tensions after talks in Washington

Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have agreed to de-escalate tensions and implement the peace agreement reached last year with the assistance of U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. State Department stated that officials from both countries held talks in Washington on March 17-18 and reached a consensus on specific measures to achieve lasting peace in eastern Congo. The statement said, “These efforts include commitments by both sides to take concrete actions supporting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Rwanda’s planned withdrawal of troops/removal of defensive measures from certain areas within Congo.” Several days before the agreement, the United States imposed sanctions on the Congolese military and four high-ranking officials due to Rwanda’s support for the M23 movement, which seeks to establish an autonomous region in eastern Congo. Rwanda stated that these sanctions unfairly target only one party to the Washington Agreement signed in December last year.