'DRC, Rwanda Peace Deal Entrenches Economic Colonialism'

Kim Heller

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a nation scarred by decades of bloodstained battles, is in desperate need of peace.

A permanent ceasefire that heralds in lasting peace is the only passport to sustainable recovery, repair and development in the besieged nation. Conflict-related deaths and displacement are epidemic. The recent escalation of conflict saw the M23 rebel group gain control over major cities and airports. Previous peace talks and ceasefires have failed to quell the violence.

The newly brokered US-Qatar peace accord for the DRC is being hailed as a turning point. Signed by the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda in Washington on June 27, 2025, the deal has sparked a measure of optimism.

However, while there have been celebrations at the White House, attacks have continued on the ground in the DRC. On the very same day that the deal was struck, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO), a militia group, attacked a displacement camp in the Ituri Province, killing three women and eight children.

The current President of the DRC, Felix Tshisekedi, has described the deal as a promise of peace for the people of eastern DRC. However, for former President Joseph Kabila, the peace deal is 'nothing more than a trade agreement'. The DRC appears to be trading its mineral riches and rights in exchange for US military support in a deal that resembles a new age neocolonial plunder scheme.

What is being touted as a rescue plan for the Congo could well turn out to be little more than a schematic for daylight robbery, not only of the nation's treasure chest of mineral resources but of its priceless sovereignty. Those hoping that the Washington agreement is a magical potion for lasting peace in the DRC may find that it is little more than a prescription of US opportunism.

The expedient and transactional character of Donald Trump is infamous. The United States' participation in promoting a peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda is undoubtedly part of his frenzied crusade for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump has already stated that he deserves recognition for his hand in forging a truce between the DRC and Rwanda. The US's ambition to secure its access to Congo's precious cobalt and coltan is no state secret. The geopolitical spinoffs of the deal will boost the US's position on the Continent and help to edge out China's growing influence and market potential.

It is a jackpot for Trump. The agreement calls for disengagement, disarmament and conditional amalgamation of armed groups. Details on implementation and enforcement are sketchy. Proposals on joint security efforts and regional economic integration are not novel ideas. These have been recommended in previous peace bids and not accomplished.

Kabila believes the Congolese people deserve more than propaganda and a diplomatic "show". Congratulatory handshakes in the US cannot block out red flags about the lack of active participation of the AU, the exclusion of M23 and other militia groups and the lack of dialogue with ordinary citizens, who are most impacted by the ongoing warfare.

This belittles African agency. Long-standing, deep, and festering tensions, ever-inflamed regional security issues, and broken economies cannot be resolved on foreign soil. A peace deal manufactured in Washington sets a dangerous precedent for Africa.

It emboldens a new era of foreign imperialism and downgrades sovereignty and self-determination. Often, international interference is cleverly packaged as international mediation. The winner is rarely Africa. This new peace deal will enable the US to secure valuable minerals and mining rights, thereby advancing its geopolitical standing on the Continent.

For Qatar, this mediation is part of its long-game strategy of soft power diplomacy. Trump has microwaved a winning solution for his administration. He has recast the US as a force in the East African region.

While the DRC and Rwanda economies may benefit from inflows of investment and new mineral trade value chains and routes, the primary beneficiary will be the US and US mining companies. Territorially, the peace deal could see Rwanda holding onto its control and influence over some of the eastern DRC, through its purported association with M23.

For the DRC and the region, the deal is unlikely to silence the guns, especially if it is not fully integrated into the broader Agenda 2063 programme. Solutions born out of external agendas rather than grassroots consultation are more likely to inflame than end conflict.

An imposed plan from above that fails to take cognisance of the structural drivers of conflict and economic ravage is destined to fail. The deal exposes the African Union as a bystander without an effective disarmament and peacekeeping capacity. 

A meeting with the Presidents of DRC and Rwanda, Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, is expected to take place in Washington in the next few weeks. Kagame has always been clear that the instability of Eastern DRC is rooted in its colonial history and artificial borders. He has also been vocal about how the demand for minerals by Western powers has fuelled the conflict.

The peace deal entrenches economic colonialism under the cover of peace talks. The tall and proud posture of Rwandan President Paul Kagame on the sacredness of sovereignty and the imperative of African solutions to African problems seems to have been compromised.

The peace deal is a strategic victory for Trump. His tone on Africa during the signing ceremony bore no resemblance to his past derogatory utterances. Trump is smiling. Perhaps the Continent has forgotten that Big Brother America does not care much for it.

* Kim Heller is a political analyst and author of No White Lies: Black Politics and White Power in South Africa.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.