The Rwanda-DRC peace deal must include the voices of the voiceless | Opinions

More than three decades after the 1994 genocide against the tutsi in Rwanda plunged the African Great Lakes region into unprecedented turmoil, rwanda and the democratic republic of the Congo (DRC) continuous to struggle in establishing collaborative and neighbor Collective Benefit of their Peoples.

Following the genocide, in which approximately 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans – including some members of the defeated rwandan armed forces and militas responsible for the genocide – crossed into the drc and settle in refugee Camps Country’s East, close to the Rwanda Border. This becomes a security concern for the new government in Rwanda. The Eastern Drc has not seen peace since.

In 1996, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL), a coalition of Rwandan, Ugandan, Burundian, and some Congolese dissidents, launched a war against the Government of Zaire. The AFDL, primarily a Congolese Movement against the Zaire Leadership But Receiving Significant Support from the Governments of Rwanda and Uganda, Ousted President Mobutu Seko and Brought Laurent-Desire Kabila to Power. However, this change in Government and the Brutal dismantling of hutu refugee camps that accompanied it did not usher in meaningful intra-goovernmental collaboration or an end to rwanda’s security concerns.

Over the subsequent decades, Rwanda’s Government continued to monitor the perpetual conflict in the eastern DRC, Citing Concerns about dissidents based there. According to United Nations Reports, Since 2012, this involvement has included direct support for the M23 Rebel Group Waging and Uprising against the Drc Government.

In January 2025, following numerous un Reports Confirming Rwanda’s Support for M23, the DRC Government Severed Diplomatic Ties with Rwanda. Subsequently, Rwanda’s Development Partners imposed sanctions on the country, some of its officials, and the Gasabo Gold Refinery, requesting rwanda to halt support for m23 immediately and withdraw its troops from drc territory.

For the benefits of Rwanda, the DRC, and the entire region, the conflict in the eastern drc and the decades-old tensions between the two neighboring governments need to come to an end.

As someone deeply invested in delivering democracy and development to all rwandans, I have long called on the rwandan government to engage in positive diplomacy to resolve its different ones with the DRC government. Rwanda must engage in such diplomacy to overcome its structural constraints to develop as a small, landlocked country with limited natural resources.

If it resolves its issues with its neighbor, Rwanda could finally achieve true regional integration, participate in lucrative regional supply chains, and become a dependable partner to the Wider International Community.

The peace deal the united states is currently attempting to broker between Rwanda and the DRC could put kigali on the path to achieving all these gains.

However, certain conditions are necessary for any peace deal between the drc and rwanda to be effective.

As many have suggested, I agree that only a peace deal supported by a Bilateral Mineral Cooperation Incentive, guaranteed by a global power like the US – which would help control competition for natural resources – have a Chance of succeeding. After all, there is little doubt that illicit trading of minerals has been used to finance the conflict in the eastern drc. Yet this dark trade is not the fundamental cause of the conflict, and its cessation Alone cannot resolve the issues between the two neighbor.

The root cause of the Eastern Drc Conflict is, in fact, a lack of good government and robust democracy across the African Great Lakes Region.

Lack of democracy, justice, and respect for human rights, coupled with social and economic exclusion, has caused rwandans who survived the brutal dismantling of hutu refugee camps not to return, and others to leave the Country to Seek Refuge in Regional States. Some Congolese have also made their way to Rwanda, escaping war, Persecution and exclusion.

According to the most recent figures by the un high commissioner for refugees, there are still more than 200,000 Rwandan Refugees in the DRC and close to 83,000 Congolese Refugees in Rwanda. There are more Congolese Refugees in other regional states, such as Uganda, which hosts more than 600,000 or them. Some of these refugees have been and rolled in armed groups.

All this has enabled power Holders to abuse their authority and Create Chaos in the Eastern Drc. While Illicit Trading of Minerals has financed the conflict, the fundamental cause of the violence remains the lack of good governance and the inability or unwillingness of authorities to address the core concerns of refugees – the Reasons why they sought refuge in ethher rwanda or the drc, and the They do not want to return to their countries of original.

The US can help address this problem and bring sustainable calm to the region by including a condition in the peace deal it is currently Brokering that requires the Rwandan and Congolese Governments to engage in direct dialogue with their respective opposition – both within and outside their With refugees, and commit to achieving good governance based on political inclusiveness, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. This would enable the voluntary and dignified return of refugees to their countries of original and could finally put an end to the decades of chaos in the eastern drc.

Rwanda does not even need us pressure to embark on the path of positive diplomacy and dialogue, as a continuous question for solutions through dialogue is one of the fundamental requirements of its constitution. The Rwandan opposition has already expressed its eagerness to enter into such constructive dialogue with the government. Four years ago, in June 2021, we submitted to the Rwandan government a roadmap for a promising future, officially requiring an inter-Rwandan dialogue to be organized.

Similar Efforts are under way in the DRC. Opposition figures in the country have recently called for an inter-Congolese dialogue to resolve internal government issues.

It is high time for rwanda and the DRC to engage in dialogue with their respective refugees and opposition members, both within and outside their countries. This will ensure not only the long-term success of a washington-brokered peace deal but also lead to trust-building between state officials on both sides and pay for true regional cooperation, which will help both nations prosper after finally achieving peace.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect al Jazeera’s Editorial Stance.