Friday on 25th 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened the Signing of a Declaration of Principles between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner signed on behalf of the Government of the DRC, while Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe signed on behalf of the Government of Rwanda. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos, and Ambassador Troy Fitrell also joined Secretary Rubio on this occasion.
The Declaration builds on the efforts of the African Union and other regional leaders. It outlines a pathway to peace, stability, and integrated economic development in the Eastern DRC region, which is vital to ending the conflict and allowing the region to reach its full potential.
The United States expressed that will continue engaging with both nations to uphold the declaration’s principles and support the crucial work towards peace and prosperity.
The signature of this document affirms the political commitment of the Participants set forth herein.
- Sovereignty, Territorial integrity, and Governance
- The Participants mutually acknowledge each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and commit to a pathway to resolve their disputes by peaceful means grounded in diplomacy and negotiation rather than hostile force or rhetoric.
- The Participants mutually acknowledge each other’s established territorial borders and commit to refrain from actions or rhetoric that threaten or question the validity of those borders.
- The Participants acknowledge each Participant’s sovereign right to govern and administer its own territory in a manner that does not infringe on the other Participant’s sovereignty or territorial integrity.
- The Participants commit to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
- Security concerns
- The Participants acknowledge they both have legitimate security concerns in their shared border region and commit to address such concerns in a manner consistent with both Participants’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
- The Participants acknowledge that peace, security, and stability are essential to increase legitimate commercial trade and broader regional economic cooperation.
- The Participants acknowledge their shared interest in limiting the proliferation of non- state armed groups within and across their borders and commit to refrain from providing state military support to non-state armed groups.
- The Participants commit to explore the establishment of a joint security coordination mechanism to counter non-state armed groups and criminal organizations that threaten the Participants’ legitimate security concerns.
- Regional economic integration framework
- The Participants commit to a phased regional economic integration framework building on existing efforts, such as the ICGLR, COMESA, and the EAC, that provides both Participants with expanded foreign trade and investment and introduces greater transparency to ensure both Participants prosper from the region’s natural resources through mutually beneficial partnerships and investment opportunities.
- The Participants expect this framework to be accompanied by the launch or expansion of significant investments, including those facilitated by the U.S. government and U.S. private sector, aimed at transforming the regional economy to the benefit of all participating countries.
- The Participants commit to explore options to link this framework to other international or regional economic development initiatives, including in infrastructure projects.
- The Participants commit to launch and/or expand cooperation on shared priorities such as hydropower development; national park management; derisking of mineral supply chains; and transparent, formalized, and licit end-to-end mineral value chains (from mine to processed metal) that link both countries, in partnership with the U.S. government and U.S. investors.
- Return of IDPS and Refugees
- The Participants commit, with the support of UN agencies and appropriate humanitarian organizations, to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of IDPs to their original places of residence in eastern DRC following the return of peace to those areas, as well as DRC citizens who have been displaced by conflict and currently reside in Rwanda or other countries, in a manner consistent with their international legal obligations.
- MONUSCO and regional forces and mechanisms
- The Participants commit to support MONUSCO in accordance with its mandate and commit to protect, facilitate, and promote MONUSCO’s ability to protect civilian populations and perform all obligations mandated by the UNSC, including functions that support the implementation of UNSC Resolution 2773.
- The Participants commit to protect, facilitate, and promote the ability of MONUSCO and regional forces and mechanisms to act in accordance with their respective mandates, including as necessary for an agreed-upon verification mechanism and inter-positional force to facilitate the good faith implementation of these Principles by the Participants and non-state armed groups.
- Peace Agreement
- In furtherance of these Principles, consistent with the Nairobi Process and the Luanda Process, now merged under the EAC-SADC framework, as endorsed by the AU under President Gnassingbe’s facilitation, taking into consideration the current Doha talks between the government of DRC, the government of Rwanda and M23/AFC and in cooperation and consultation with the U.S. government, the Participants commit to coordinate through existing channels to generate an initial draft Peace Agreement for the Participants’ mutual review no later than May 2.
- To resolve disagreements around the draft text of the Peace Agreement, the Participants commit to meet at the Foreign Minister level in Washington, D.C., hosted by the U.S. Department of State.
Signed at Washington on April 25, 2025, in duplicate, in the English language.
For the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation
For the Government of the Republic of Rwanda
Amb. Olivier J. P. Nduhungirehe
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Witnessed by:
The Government of the United States of America
Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
