Last Thursday, Democratic Republic of Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame met in Washington to ratify a U.S.-brokered deal meant to end decades of conflict in eastern Congo. HRF urges the international community not to ignore Rwanda’s repressive climate, which threatens regional stability.

The peace deal is fragile, driven by vague commitments and dictators’ narrow interests. The agreement ignores the conflict’s regional scope, legitimizes Rwanda’s military presence, lacks provisions for independent monitoring, and uses distorted terms that allow Kigali to delay withdrawing its forces indefinitely. (World Politics Review)

As Rwanda’s war deepens the humanitarian crisis in eastern Congo, the treaty overlooks one of its root causes: minerals. Rwanda’s coltan exports surged after the M23 rebel group captured the Rubaya mine, yet the deal ignores this ongoing resource plunder and fails to address Kigali’s illicit mineral supply chain.

Domestically, Rwanda’s persecution of opposition figures like Victoire Ingabire, detained on trumped-up charges for her pro-democracy activism, highlights Kigali’s intolerance of dissent. Without confronting such systemic repression, sustainable peace will remain out of reach. (hrf.org)