Trump Hosts African Leaders for Peace Agreement
On December 4, 2025, President Donald Trump welcomed Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi to the White House and the recently renamed Donald J. Trump United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC.
This meeting wrapped up extensive peace discussions between these African nations.
During the summit, they signed the “Washington Accord.” This agreement aims for a permanent cease-fire, disarmament of armed groups, refugee return, accountability for past atrocities, and enhanced economic cooperation regarding vital minerals like rare earth elements and cobalt.
This event followed a preliminary agreement that was signed by foreign ministers in June and subsequent talks in Qatar in November, amidst ongoing violence in the eastern DRC involving the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group.
President Trump celebrated the accord, calling it a “great day” for both Africa and the broader global community, noting its connection to U.S. economic interests in the region’s resources.
“This is a great day for Africa and a great day for the world,” Trump stated prior to the signing of the accord.
As the summit approached, tensions escalated between the two nations.
The DRC and Rwanda have a complex and turbulent history, with intermittent conflict dating back nearly 30 years to the First Congo War in 1996, when Rwanda invaded what was then Zaire to dismantle refugee camps viewed as security threats after the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Trump highlighted the significance of the summit’s timing, coinciding with the holiday season. He also emphasized hopes that the agreement would put an end to “one of the world’s longest-running conflicts,” which has reportedly claimed over 10 million lives.
“Today, we commit to ending decades of violence and bloodshed and beginning a new era of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda,” he remarked, commending both leaders as “courageous.”
Beyond ending prolonged conflict, the newly signed agreement is expected to create new opportunities for the U.S. to access valuable minerals and spur economic benefits for all involved.
Trump assured that major U.S. companies would be sent to the two nations to secure rare earth minerals, aligning with Republican goals to diversify sources in response to China’s dominance in that market.
“Today we are succeeding where so many other countries have failed,” Trump claimed, taking aim at previous administrations’ inability to resolve this longstanding crisis.
At the signing ceremony, Trump pointed out that this agreement marks the eighth foreign conflict his administration has helped mediate since his return to office. He previously brokered the Abraham Accords to ease tensions between Israel and Arab nations, with more countries looking to join those efforts recently.
