Trump managed to prevent another war between Rwanda and Congo over mineral wealth

The administration of President Donald Trump has played a central role in negotiating a new historic peace agreement, this time between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, which seeks to end decades of conflict in eastern Congo.

The initiative was promoted at the request of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, who formally invited the United States to mediate the talks, marking a substantial shift in contemporary African geopolitics.

The agreement, which was initialed today and will be officially signed on June 27 in Washington in the presence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, represents one of the most significant diplomatic interventions led by the Trump administration outside the American continent.

After three days of intense negotiations between delegations from both countries in the U.S. capital, a consensus was reached that could end a war that has left more than six million dead since the 1990s.

The conflict, centered on control of the region's vast and valuable mineral resources such as coltan, cobalt, lithium, copper, and gold, has involved more than 125 armed groups, including the M23 militia, which international organizations consider to be supported by Rwanda.

Although M23 did not participate directly in the negotiations, the agreement establishes mechanisms for its disarmament, demobilization, and conditional integration, as well as guaranteeing respect for territorial integrity and facilitating the return of refugees.

What distinguishes this intervention is the transactional approach promoted by Trump. Unlike previous efforts, based on "soft diplomacy" and multilateral cooperation, the U.S. strategy under his leadership focused on concrete agreements that link peace to economic incentives.

This model allowed the United States to also negotiate preferential access to the DRC's strategic minerals, in a context of global competition with China, which currently controls more than 80% of Congolese cobalt.

In this context, Trump appointed Massad Boulos, businessman and father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany, as special adviser for Africa. Boulos quickly traveled to the region, met with heads of state and business leaders, and helped facilitate parallel agreements on mining investment and cooperation on migration, replicating the security-exchange approach that has characterized other policies of the former president.

The agreement could also have a direct economic impact: it is expected to attract billions of dollars in U.S. investment, boosting projects such as the Lobito Corridor, a railway that will connect the mines of the Congolese copper belt with the Atlantic Ocean. This infrastructure is key to ensuring an alternative export route to the chains controlled by China.

Although doubts persist about the effectiveness of the agreement if M23 doesn't cease its military operations, the Rwandan government is said to have expressed its willingness to withdraw support for the militia, and the Congolese government appears open to economic cooperation measures with its neighbor.

Experts believe that, if the agreement holds, the United States would gain not only strategic and commercial advantages but also an important diplomatic victory under Trump's leadership.