Trending Now - Congo and Rwanda Reach Agreement to Reduce Eastern Tensions

WHO:

Congolese and Rwandan officials

U.S. President Donald Trump

M23 rebel group

Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)

WHAT:

Congolese and Rwandan officials agreed on coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions in eastern Congo.

The agreement includes specific but unnamed measures to support each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The sides agreed to the “scheduled disengagement of forces as well as the lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda” in defined Congolese territory.

Congo will make “intensified efforts” to neutralize the FDLR.

WHERE:

United States (location of the meeting)

Eastern Congo (region of conflict)

WHEN:

The meeting took place on March 17th and 18th, 2026.

A peace deal was signed by DR Congo and Rwanda in December 2025.

The M23 rebel group made an unprecedented advance into eastern Congo early in 2025.

WHY:

The agreement aims to de-escalate ongoing violence and unrest in eastern Congo, where government forces are fighting more than 100 armed groups, including the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda.

Rwanda's involvement is framed as defensive measures to protect its territory from Hutu rebels responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

HOW:

The agreement was facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is attempting to rally both countries to commit to a permanent ceasefire and pave the way for American companies to access Congo’s minerals.

(UPDATED March 19, 2026 13:25 UTC)

In a significant development, Congolese and Rwandan officials met in the United States on March 17th and 18th to agree on coordinated steps aimed at de-escalating tensions in eastern Congo, where ongoing violence has involved over 100 armed groups, including the M23 rebel group. The agreement includes measures to support each other’s sovereignty, a scheduled disengagement of forces, and intensified efforts by Congo to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR. This meeting was facilitated by President Trump, who is working to encourage both nations to commit to a permanent ceasefire and open up access for American companies to Congo’s valuable minerals.