DRC, Rwanda presidents to sign peace deal in Washington next week: Reuters

The presidents of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will travel to Washington next week to sign a peace deal and meet with US President Donald Trump, three sources told Reuters, as the US tries to broker peace in war-hit eastern DR Congo and attract Western mining investments to the region.

Two diplomatic sources and Tina Salama, spokesperson for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, told Reuters the meeting would take place on December 4.

A White House official told Reuters last week that the Trump administration "continues to work with both parties, and looks forward to welcoming them to the White House at the appropriate time."

Regional integration

M23 rebel group staged a lightning advance in eastern DR Congo this year, seizing the region's two largest cities and raising fears of a wider war that could draw in more of DR Congo's neighbours. The latest cycle of fighting has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

The meeting next week is expected to build on a US-brokered peace deal reached in June and signed by the two countries' foreign ministers, and a Regional Economic Integration Framework agreed earlier this month.

The heads of state are expected to ratify both, Salama said.

"The president has always desired regional integration, but respect for sovereignty is non-negotiable and a prerequisite for regional integration," she said.

Security measures

The Trump administration has talked of facilitating billions of dollars of Western investment in a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals.

In September, DR Congo and Rwanda agreed to implement security measures outlined in the June deal by the end of the year.

These include operations to eliminate the “threat” from Congo-based rebel group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and facilitate the withdrawal of Rwandan troops.

Rwanda, which often faces allegations of links to M23, has repeatedly denied backing the rebel group.

Tshisekedi confirms attendance

Qatar has hosted separate talks between DR Congo and M23, and this month the two sides signed a framework agreement for a peace deal, but many details have yet to be negotiated.

Tshisekedi told members of the Congolese diaspora in Serbia that he would go to Washington, according to a post on X published on Friday by his office.

But he also said Rwandan troops must withdraw from eastern DR Congo for there to be true regional economic integration.