The DRC-Rwanda peace deal: Prospects for lasting peace

On June 27, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed a United States-mediated peace deal calling for a Rwandan troop withdrawal from Congolese territory and increased U.S. investment in the Congolese mining sector to end the decades-long conflict in eastern DRC. Since 1996, the conflict has resulted in approximately 6 million deaths and one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with millions displaced and violence fueled by armed groups like M23—a Rwandan-backed group responsible for widespread abuses and illegal mineral exploitation, as well as seizing and occupying Goma and Bukavu in early 2025. Past peace deals have had mixed results and failed to end the fighting.

The agreement also comes as the future of the United Nation’s peacekeeping presence in the region remains uncertain. While the U.N.’s peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, is expected to withdraw, the Security Council extended its mandate through 2025 at the Congolese government’s request. Could this agreement offer a more permanent solution? How does control over critical minerals and MONUSCO’s approaching withdrawal factor into its success?

On August 7, the Brookings Africa Security Initiative hosted a panel of experts to discuss the agreement and prospects for enduring peace in the DRC. Viewers submitted questions via e-mail to [email protected] or via X (formerly Twitter) @BrookingsFP using #DRCRwanda.