Dakar (Senegal), Jun 27 (AP) The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are set to sign a peace deal facilitated by the US to help end the decades-long deadly fighting in eastern Congo.
The deal, to be signed in Washington on Friday, would also help the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the conflict-battered, mineral-rich region.
The Central African nation of Congo has been ripped apart by conflict with more than 100 armed groups. The most prominent is the M23 rebel group, backed by neighbouring Rwanda, whose major advance early this year left bodies littered on the streets.
With 7 million people displaced in Congo, the UN has called it 鈥渙ne of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth鈥.
Lauded by President Trump last week as 鈥渁 Great Day for Africa and 鈥 for the World鈥, the crucial deal comes as part of other ongoing peace talks to end the conflict, including ones mediated by the African Union as well as Qatar.
The agreement involves provisions on respect for territorial integrity, a prohibition of hostilities as well as the disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration of non-state armed groups, US State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told reporters on Thursday.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric also said on Thursday that such a deal is welcomed, adding: 鈥淲e talk almost every day about 鈥 the horrific suffering of civilians, the hunger, the sexual violence, the constant fear, the constant displacement鈥 in eastern Congo.
The peace deal will likely not end the conflict quickly Congo hopes the US will provide it with the security support needed to fight the rebels and possibly get them to withdraw from the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, and from the entire region where Rwanda is estimated to have up to 4,000 troops. Rwanda has said it is defending its territorial interests and not supporting the M23.
However, the M23 rebels have suggested the agreement won鈥檛 be binding on them. The rebel group has not been directly involved in the planned peace deal although it has been part of other ongoing peace talks.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance that includes the M23, told the Associated Press in March that direct peace talks with Congo can only be held if the country acknowledges their grievances and that 鈥渁nything regarding us which are done without us, it鈥檚 against us鈥.
An M23 spokesman, Oscar Balinda, also echoed those thoughts in an interview with AP this week, saying the US-facilitated deal does not concern the rebels.
The US鈥 role in ending the conflict Analysts say the US government鈥檚 commitment might depend on how much access it has to the minerals being discussed under a separate minerals deal being negotiated.
The mostly untapped minerals 鈥 estimated to be worth as much as USD 24 trillion by the US Department of Commerce 鈥 are critical to much of the world鈥檚 technology.
Christian Moleka, a political scientist at the Congolese think tank Dypol, called the planned deal a 鈥渕ajor turning point鈥 in the decades-long conflict, but that the signing could 鈥渋n no way eliminate all the issues of the conflict鈥.
鈥淭he current draft agreement ignores war crimes and justice for victims by imposing a partnership between the victim and the aggressor,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his seems like a trigger-happy proposition and cannot establish lasting peace without justice and reparation.鈥 In Congo鈥檚 North Kivu province, the hardest hit by the fighting, some believe the peace deal will help resolve the violence but warn justice must still be served for an enduring peace to take hold.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the Americans should be trusted 100 per cent,鈥 said Hope Muhinuka, an activist from the province. 鈥淚t is up to us to capitalise on all we have now as an opportunity.鈥 (AP) PY PY