Rwanda and DR Congo sign joint pledge toward peace deal by May 2

By Ahmet Emin Donmez and Asiye Latife Yilmaz

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AA) - Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a joint statement Friday pledging to respect each other’s sovereignty and draft a peace agreement by May 2 to end hostilities in conflict-torn eastern Congo, according to a media note released by the US Department of State.

DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner and Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe signed the US-brokered agreement in Washington, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in attendance.

The joint declaration commits both nations to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, refrain from supporting non-state armed groups, avoid interfering in each other’s internal affairs, address security concerns through peaceful means, and establish a joint security mechanism to combat organized crime.

The statement also outlined plans for cooperation with the US on strategic projects, including the development of mineral value chains and hydropower.

"Today marks not an end but a beginning, a necessary step towards peace taken with resolve and purpose," Wagner told a news conference after the signing.

Nduhungirehe said the declaration “opens the door to a definitive peace agreement, giving fresh impetus" to efforts toward lasting stability.

Eastern Congo has been gripped by a security and humanitarian crisis since January, after the M23 rebel group launched a new offensive, capturing large swaths of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.

The DRC, along with the US and European Union, accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels -- an allegation Kigali strongly denies.

Separately, on Wednesday, the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23), a broader rebel coalition including M23 fighters, agreed to pursue a truce with the DRC government during Qatar-brokered talks in Doha.