President Donald Trump announced Friday afternoon that he brokered a treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda in their conflict over valuable minerals.
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio assisted in the deal, and the treaty will be signed by representatives from both nations in Washington, D.C., on Monday. The treaty came after several days of negotiations in Washington between both sides, mediated by the U.S.
“I am very happy to report that I have arranged, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a wonderful Treaty between the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Rwanda, in their War, which was known for violent bloodshed and death, more so even than most other Wars, and has gone on for decades,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump then complained that he won’t receive a Nobel Peace Prize “no matter what I do.”
He said, “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for this, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between Serbia and Kosovo, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for keeping Peace between Egypt and Ethiopia… I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize for doing the Abraham Accords in the Middle East which, if all goes well, will be loaded to the brim with additional Countries signing on, and will unify the Middle East for the first time in ‘The Ages!’ No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that’s all that matters to me!”
Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times, with the latest coming Friday as Pakistan nominated the president for brokering peace in the country’s conflict with India.
The conflict between the countries began in 2022, when Rwandan forces began supporting rebels in the Congo, and has seen the deaths of thousands of people and has displaced many more. The deal could help bring in U.S. investment into the DRC, which holds valuable deposits of coltan, cobalt, lithium, copper, and gold. All of those minerals can be used to help make anything from weapons to smartphones.
The deal could fail in stopping conflict completely in the region, as the rebels, who call themselves the March 23 Movement, are not a signatory to the agreement. Rwanda has denied links with the group.
Daniel Van Dalen, a senior analyst at the Africa-focused intelligence firm Signal Risk, told CBS News the deal will only work if M23 adheres to it.
“That remains true today, as the M23 are still pushing, in spite of peace negotiations, for territorial gains,” Van Dalen said on Thursday.
There’s evidence Rwanda has used M23 as a cover as they pilfer minerals and potentially give them back to the country. Van Dalen said there’s been a surge in Rwandan mineral exports, more than the country could account for from its own reserves.
The State Department previously said the peace deal would be signed on June 27 with Rubio presiding.
WHY IS WAR BREAKING OUT IN THE CONGO?
“[Trump’s] intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker and his commitment to conflict resolution through dialogue,” they said about the president.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) nominated then-former President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his foreign policy efforts in the Middle East in January 2024.
