The US says Congo and Rwanda submit a draft peace proposal | AP News
The US helped to lead the Congo and Rwanda in submitting a peace proposal to help end the current conflict in the Eastern Congo. The region has faced the M23 Rebels and other armed groups for years now, which have led to decades of instability. Several Congo cities have been occupied by the rebels, leading to a humanitarian and displacement crisis with 7 million people displaced. This draft is hoped to be a final peace agreement signed by June at the White House, especially since it’s following a peace pledge signed just last month.
This is significant because you can see why the U.S. and the Trump Administration is interested in creating peace in this region. The Trump Administration is focused on improving US manufacturing, and the Congo is rich in important technological minerals like cobalt which could be an economic investment of the U.S. On the humanitarian side, this conflict has led to one of the biggest displacement crises ever, and this possible peace deal could impact living conditions for the million people affected.
The Congo and Rwanda can respond to this by following the negotiation talks and provide transparency when building international trust and regional cooperation. Rwanda can stop providing support to M23 and help to bring an end to other rebel groups who are continuing the conflict. The U.S. can respond by providing neutral and necessary support while they are supporting the peace plan. If the U.S. wants to have access to these minerals, they must show trust and effort for the region, which can be shown through humanitarian support, or other dialogue efforts.
I can connect this article to the Trump Administration’s foreign policy and geopolitical strategies. The U.S. has slowly been shifting from a liberal approach, however this action to help create peace in a conflict region shows that there are underlying national interests, including having access to the minerals in Congo.