2025 DRC–Rwanda peace agreement

The Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda peace agreement, officially the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, is a peace treaty intended to end the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, signed on June 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C., United States. The main points of the agreement call for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from the eastern DRC and for the Congolese government to end its support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia. It also aims to set up a regional economic integration framework between the two countries based on the critical minerals trade, which will involve the United States.

The agreement went into effect after being signed by the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner and Olivier Nduhungirehe, following negotiations between the two countries that were mediated by the U.S. and Qatar. The ceremony was overseen by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The main Rwandan-backed rebel group in the eastern DRC, the March 23 Movement (M23), was not a party to the agreement, and was in separate negotiations with the Congolese government taking place in Doha, Qatar.

As of mid-September, the implementation of the agreement had stalled. Rwandan troops had not withdrawn from the DRC, the FDLR had not been disbanded, and the talks between M23 and the Congolese government did not lead to a peace deal. Although the DRC had signed a ceasefire and a declaration of principles with M23, it was followed by repeated violations and both sides accusing each other of breaking the ceasefire. A deadline in late August to sign a final peace deal with M23 was missed. The economic section of the Washington Accords was also delayed because the peace terms had not been achieved.

The Doha talks between the DRC and M23 and the Washington talks between the DRC and Rwanda continued for several months. On November 7, delegations from the DRC and Rwanda signed the Regional Economic Integration Framework in Washington. On November 15, the DRC and M23 signed a framework agreement to end their conflict through further negotiations. The heads of state, Félix Tshisekedi of the DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, signed the Washington Accords on December 4, 2025, in a ceremony presided over by U.S. president Donald Trump and involving several other African leaders. However, fighting still continues in the eastern DRC and the treaty has been criticized by analysts as primarily serving U.S. economic interests instead of resolving the historic conflict.