Justice is crucial in the US-led DRC-Rwanda peace deal

The Democratic Republic of the Congo government and Rwanda will be the chief signatories of the peace agreement, with little or no involvement from the rebel groups currently occupying the eastern parts of Goma under the Congo River Alliance. Technical teams from Rwanda and Congo initiated a draft on Wednesday in the US-mediated peace process.

Analysts, however, say the sticking point could be the implementation.

“The reason why we have a challenge with all these peace deals is because, we keep including clauses for amnesty. It means it is justice delayed,” said Kambale Musavili from the Center for Research on Congo-Kinshasa.

“What it signals to armed groups committing crimes on the ground is that you can pick up guns and blackmail the Congolese government to negotiations. The Americans are making the same posture, unfortunately they are going to reinvigorate the same militia groups,” Musavili added.

The conflict in eastern Congo has displaced thousands

Concerns have also been raised about the details of the deal, which are yet to be made public to the Congolese.

“What we are experiencing here is not really new. But now, what are the operational commitments that will be put in place?,” said Professor Philippe-Doudou Kaganda, Scientific Director of the Center for Research and Study on Conflict and Peace in the Great Lakes Region.

“It is precisely here that there is a risk that we will not have a realistic agreement on certain aspects and that could possibly lead the belligerents to strengthen their demands and continue to wage war.”

Cautious optimism

The Congolese civil society is optimistic but cautions thathistory may repeat itself if the deal is not carefully handled.

“Certainly, this is an agreement that we are longing for,” Hyprocat Marume, President of the South Kivu civil society, said. “But it should have been signed since the capture of Bunagana, instead of letting our people die first and leaving us in a crisis situation.” Marume stressed that the Congolese government must help its citizens to live in peace and tranquillity. “Taking up arms to demand positions, we must ensure that this experience never happens again.”

Previous ceasefires between Kinshasa and Kigali have often failed, but Washington hopes this one will stick and bring economic opportunities.

The draft peace deal aims to end fighting in eastern Congo, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels made significant advances at the beginning of the year, capturing the strategic city of Goma and the town of Bukavu.

“The agreement includes provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities, disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,” said a statement posted to the US State Department’s website.

The deal also includes provisions for facilitating the return ofrefugees and internally displaced persons, as well as ensuring humanitarian access and establishing a regional economic integration framework.

Will Trump‘s gamble pay off in the DRC?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will witness the official signing ceremony next week.

The agreement announced on Wednesday builds on a declaration of principles signed between the two countries in April.

It will signal a breakthrough for President Donald Trump’s administration’s push to halt the conflict in eastern Congo and attract billions of dollars in Western investment to the mineral-rich region.

However, it is unclear whether the Congo River Alliance — a coalition of rebel groups that includes the M23 — will adhere to it.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is hoping to secure peace and security backed by the Americans.

In return, the US will benefit from a minerals exchange deal estimated to be worth around $2 trillion (€1.7 trillion), which will be made available to US companies for extraction.

Rwanda and Congo twice reached agreements last year under Angola’s mediation on troop withdrawal and joint operations against the FDLR rebel group,  which Rwanda accuses of perpetrating the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. However, ministers from both countries failed to endorse the deals.

Angola stepped down as a mediator in March after several failed attempts to resolve the escalating Rwanda-backed rebel offensive in eastern Congo.

Fighting intensified this year as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced to seize the region’s two largest cities, displacing thousands of people. Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 with troops and arms, while Rwanda denies helping the group and says its forces are acting in self-defense.