International News
Peace Deal With Rwanda Opens Way To ‘New Era’, Says DR Congo President
A peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern DRC paves the way for “a new era of stability”, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said Monday.Rich in natural resources, especially lucrative minerals, the vast DRC’s east has been plagued by deadly violence that has ravaged the region for three decades.
Fighting intensified early this year when the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group seized territory, including the key cities of Goma in late January and Bukavu several weeks later.
The lightning offensive in the east on Rwanda’s border left thousands dead and deepened a humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, according to the DRC government and UN.
After a series of systematically broken truces and ceasefires in recent years and the failure of several attempts at negotiation between Kinshasa and Kigali, Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers inked a peace deal in Washington on Friday.
A parallel, Doha-led mediation bid between the DRC government and the M23 is also ongoing.
A representative from Qatar attended Friday’s signing of the agreement, described as a significant milestone towards peace by the African Union and the United Nations.
The text “opens the way to a new era of stability, cooperation, and prosperity for our nation,” Tshisekedi said in a speech broadcast Monday to mark the 65th anniversary of DRC’s independence from Belgium.
Won’t ‘Sell Off’ Interests
Tshisekedi is due to meet his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Washington in the coming weeks.
The agreement outlines provisions for the “respect for territorial integrity and halting hosilities” in eastern DRC but are still to be implemented.
It calls for “a lifting of defensive measures” by Rwanda or the withdrawal of Rwandan soldiers from the DRC.
Rwanda has denied directly supporting the M23 but has demanded an end to another armed group which it says threatens the country—the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by ethnic Hutus linked to the massacres of Tutsis in the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The agreement calls for the “neutralisation” of the FDLR by Kinshasa.
It also includes economic measures but has few details.
In April, the Congolese president discussed a mining agreement with Massad Boulos, a Lebanese-American businessman and father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany, who was tapped by the president as a senior advisor on Africa.
A “regional economic integration framework” aimed at greater transparency in the supply chains of critical minerals is also foreseen under the deal.
Kinshasa will not “sell off any of the DRC’s interests,” the Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on the margins of an economic forum in Osaka, Japan, on Saturday.
The DRC is the world’s leading producer of cobalt and has deposits of gold and other valuable minerals including coltan, a metallic ore that is vital in making phones and laptops.
“This deal is not just a document; it is a promise of peace for the people” affected by the conflict in the eastern DRC, Tshisekedi said.
The text—negotiated through Qatar since before Trump took office—does not explicitly address territorial gains by the M23 anti-government group.
The M23, like the pro-Kinshasa militias it is fighting, has never officially recognised previous ceasefires.
The front in eastern DRC has stabilised since February.
But conflict continues between M23 fighters and myriad local militias, which carry out guerrilla tactics.
Corneille Nangaa, coordinator of the political-military Congo River Alliance to which the M23 belongs, dismissed in a statement Monday the Washington agreement as “limited” and accused Kinshasa of “systematically” undermining the Doha mediation process.
AFP
Jeremy Doku insisted Manchester “will keep on fighting” in the Premier League title race despite their “painful” draw with Everton on Monday.
City drew 3-3 with the Toffees at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Doku scoring a 97th-minute equaliser, having also scored the opening goal.
Doku’s equaliser (96:49) is City’s third-latest goal on record (since 2006-07) in a Premier League game after John Stones’ strike against Arsenal in September 2024 (97:14) and Gabriel Jesus’ goal against Everton in February 2019 (96:52).
Doku has had a hand in six goals across his last five games for City in all competitions (four goals, two assists), as many as in his previous 22 games combined (one goal, five assists).
The Belgian also created the most chances in the match against Everton (four), completed the most dribbles (5/7) and won the most duels (14/19).
City avoided defeat in a Premier League game despite trailing by 2+ goals as late as the 82nd minute for the first time since March 2012 against Sunderland (3-3).
They went on to win the league title in 2011-12, and Doku believes City can still beat Arsenal to the trophy this season.
“First half, we played well and created a lot of chances. We know if we don’t score those chances, it is going to get difficult at the end,” said Doku.
“Obviously, they are at their own stadium, they create chances, and they are dangerous, and they scored two goals, but I think we gave them the game.
“Good that we came back because one point is not bad in games like this.
“We will see. It feels painful now. There is still a lot of games to go. We lost two points, but we know that one point can be important at the end.
“We will keep on fighting. We owe it to ourselves and to our fans.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigerians interested in repatriation from South Africa will be responsible for the cost of their return trip to Nigeria.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, stated this during a press briefing on Monday in Abuja.
The briefing came shortly after a closed-door meeting between the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dunoma Ahmed, and the South African Acting High Commissioner, Lesoli Machele.
Mr Ebienfa said the process will be self-funded and not state-funded, as it is a voluntary decision that the Nigerian government will only facilitate and coordinate.
In the recent past, such reparations have been sponsored by Nigerian airline owners, particularly Allen Onyema, the CEO of Air Peace.
The Nigerian government, on Sunday, indicated its readiness to repatriate its citizens from South Africa due to xenophobic violence.
The effort primarily targets Nigerians who feel threatened by the xenophobic violence and tension in parts of South Africa, as the protests against black immigrants in the country continue. Two Nigerians were killed last month.
Since the announcement, about 130 Nigerians in South Africa have expressed a willingness to return home voluntarily.
Mr Ebienfa stated that the return of the Nigerians depends on their financial capacity, as they would be expected to fund their trip back home individually.
He said, “Those willing to leave are expected to approach the high commission and, given that their decision is voluntary, have the resources to fund their return to Nigeria.”
The government will not “provide an aircraft from Nigeria to convey them.”
He also noted that the speed of the repatriation process will be determined by the availability of funds.
“Yes, 130 as of this morning have registered, but actualisation would be required to have their flight ticket to move back to Nigeria.”
Mr Ebienfa also explained that Nigerians who have so far expressed interest are motivated either by concerns about threats to their lives or by fear of arrest by South African law enforcement agencies.
“There are two groups of Nigerians who want to come back. One group feels the country is not safe for them and wants to come. They have all their papers intact.
“Then there is also the second group that has travel document violations or resident permit violations. And instead of running away from law enforcement, they are appealing that the government facilitate their movement back to Nigeria,” he explained.
However, he noted that the process is still being worked out and that the government would step in to provide aircraft or other needed assistance if tensions rise and the situation becomes more volatile.
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