{"id":56470,"date":"2025-12-04T22:50:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T22:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-will-not-be-found-wanting-assures-kagame-as-drc-rwanda-sign-historic\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T10:57:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T10:57:15","slug":"rwanda-will-not-be-found-wanting-assures-kagame-as-drc-rwanda-sign-historic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-will-not-be-found-wanting-assures-kagame-as-drc-rwanda-sign-historic\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Rwanda will not be found wanting\u2019 – assures Kagame as DRC-Rwanda sign historic Washington Accord"},"content":{"rendered":"

The ceremony, held at the newly inaugurated United States Institute of Peace, was attended by US President Donald Trump, African leaders, and key international dignitaries.<\/p>\n

In his opening remarks, President Trump described the event as \u201ca great day for Africa, a great day for the world, and a great day for these two countries.\u201d He praised the leaders of Rwanda and the DRC for their courage and persistence in bringing the long-running conflict in eastern Congo to a potential close after three decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis compact we are signing today, known as the Washington Accords, formalises the terms agreed to in June, including a permanent ceasefire, disarmament of non-state forces, provisions for refugees to return home, and justice for those who have committed atrocities,\u201d Trump said. <\/p>\n

The US Head of State also emphasised the accord\u2019s economic dimension, highlighting the potential for regional economic integration and US investment in the two countries\u2019 mineral wealth.<\/p>\n

President Paul Kagame, who spoke after Trump, expressed deep gratitude to all parties involved, singling out President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Senior Advisor Massad Boulos for their pivotal roles in creating a space for breakthrough negotiations.<\/p>\n

Kagame emphasised that the responsibility for the success of the accord ultimately rests with African nations themselves. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf this agreement falters and things do not work out as they are supposed to, the responsibility will not lie with President Trump, but with ourselves,\u201d he said. He reassured that Rwanda will play its part decisively:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is up to us in Africa, working with our partners, to consolidate and expand this peace. There will be ups and downs on the road ahead. There is no doubt about it. Rwanda, I know, will not be found wanting. I can assure you of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He framed the accord as a clear path toward a prosperous and stable future for Rwanda, emphasising the country\u2019s commitment to security and development after enduring years of tragedy.<\/p>\n

DRC President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi also hailed the accord as a turning point, describing it as more than just a document, but \u201ca framework for regional economic integration and cooperation that finally overcomes the cycle of violence, mistrust, and forced displacement.\u201d <\/p>\n

He reaffirmed the DRC\u2019s commitment to fully implementing its obligations under the agreement and called for mutual respect and collaboration between the two nations.<\/p>\n

The Washington Accord represents not only a formal ceasefire but also a framework for justice, economic cooperation, and regional integration. It aims to dismantle the FDLR militia, composed of remnants of those responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who fled to the DRC and have continued to promote genocidal ideology, posing a threat to Rwanda\u2019s security along the border.<\/p>\n

The agreement also aims to facilitate refugee returns and create new opportunities for prosperity in both countries.<\/p>\n

The signing ceremony was attended by African leaders, including \u00c9variste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, William Ruto of Kenya, Jo\u00e3o Louren\u00e7o of Angola, and Jean-Lucien Savi de Tov\u00e9 of Togo, as well as representatives from Uganda, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the African Union.<\/p>\n

\"Rwanda<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"In<\/figure>\n
\"President<\/figure>\n
\"President<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Thursday took a historic step toward ending decades of conflict with the signing of the Washington Accord, a US-brokered peace agreement aimed at fostering security, stability, and regional cooperation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000098695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000098695,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g7xae5wwqaaweyk.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g7xae5wwqaaweyk.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g7xae5wwqaaweyk.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g7xae5wwqaaweyk.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g7xae5wwqaaweyk.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/g7xae5wwqaaweyk.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000098695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56470"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56470"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}