The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on Friday signed a US-brokered peace agreement, ending a 30-year-old conflict that has killed thousands of people.

The agreement, built on the Declaration of Principles signed by the parties on April 25, 2025, aims to promote lasting peace through the resumption of normal bilateral relations between the parties and integrated economic development across the region, as well as prevent renewed hostilities. The agreement also requires both parties to support ongoing negotiations between the DRC and the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC)/March 23 Movement(M23) under the mediation of the state of Qatar in Doha. The agreement follows the escalation of violence by M23, which has seized the cities of Goma and Bukavu since January. The agreement further requires the Parties to facilitate, with the support of UN agencies, “the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees,” and internally displaced persons to their place of origin.

Following the signing of the agreement by both countries, US Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement praising President Donald Trump’s leadership for ending the brutal conflict, stating: “While the signing of this agreement does not guarantee immediate peace, it creates a real chance for lasting change. Now, it is up to the parties to honor and fulfill their commitments.”

The conflict in DRC dates back to 1996 with the invasion of Rwanda and the insurgency of the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the early 2000s. The DRC’s abundant mineral resources have been a fueling factor in the conflict. The conflict has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, including the internal displacement of 6.9 million people across the DRC, with many forcibly evicted from their land.

Although the peace deal has been celebrated, some critics argue that it fails to address the root causes of the decades-long conflict, including “militia proliferation, demands for justice, and long-standing ethnic grievances.” They further argue that the expected US investment in DRC’s minerals risks reducing the deal to a mere “transactional exchange,” as it disregards issues such as land disputes and unresolved citizenship claims among Kinyarwanda-speaking communities, which are deeply ingrained in the region’s crisis.

Moreover, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan’s progress in his renewed investigation into the war crimes perpetrated in the DRC conflict remains to be seen.