Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday announced the United States will “take action” after Rwanda violated its peace deal with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.
“Rwanda’s actions in eastern DRC are a clear violation of the Washington Accords signed by President Trump, and the United States will take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept,” Rubio wrote on X.
The secretary is referring to Rwanda’s active support of the M23 rebel group, which continues seizing key areas in the eastern Congo. Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing M23.
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The rebel group’s advance threatens to derail President Donald Trump‘s peace deal signed by leaders of Rwanda and the Congo last week.
Trump touted his involvement in ending the long-standing conflict between the two African neighbors.
“We have come to the U.S. Institute of Peace to sign a historic agreement that will end one of the longest-running conflicts anywhere in the world, with far more than 10 million people killed,” he said. “Today, we commit to stopping decades of violence and bloodshed and to begin a new era of harmony and cooperation between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.”
Fighting continued in the central African region, even as the deal was signed on Dec. 4. M23 was not present at the signing ceremony.
At the United Nations on Friday, Ambassador Mike Waltz cast blame on Rwanda for fueling “increased instability and war” and vowed to hold all “spoilers to peace” accountable.
Earlier this week, Rwanda accused the Congolese Army and the Burundian Army of violating the ceasefire with ongoing attacks and claimed the Congo “was never ready to commit to peace.” Burundi is supporting the Congo by deploying thousands of troops to fight the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
“We call on Rwanda to uphold its commitments and to further recognize the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s right to defend its territory and its sovereign right to invite Burundian forces onto its territory,” Waltz told the U.N. Security Council. “We are engaging with all sides to urge restraint and to avoid further escalation.”
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Based on Rubio’s statement, the Trump administration intends to pressure Rwanda to honor its side of the agreement but will likely take action against the opposing side if necessary.
It remains unclear what the threatened action will entail, but it may be similar to how Trump resolved the border conflict between India and Pakistan in May. Months later, Trump revealed he threatened to impose a 350% tariff on each nation in order to avert a longer war. The conflict only lasted four days.
