Washington, DC, United States. The peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, also known as the Washington Accord, is signed. Long-standing tensions between the two African nations reignited in early 2025 when a Rwandan government-backed rebel group, the M23, seized a mineral-rich area in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Rwanda, which borders the M23-controlled region of DRC, has been accused of supporting the group, but denies the accusations. After months of fighting, the foreign ministers of the two countries traveled to the White House in June to sign an agreement that promised to honor a previous ceasefire starting in 2024. Trump later credited himself with bringing peace to “one of the worst wars anyone has ever seen.” However, the Rwandan rebel group M23 was not directly involved in the talks and has stated that it does not consider the agreement binding.
