The Peace Agreement and National Integrity of the DRC

November 2025

On the eve of the signing of the crucial peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, the Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, and the Spokesperson for the Head of State, Tina Salama, held a special briefing from the American capital.

The Congolese Executive presented a “coherent package” of agreements designed to break the cycle of violence and redefine the country’s economic sovereignty. Tina Salama set out the central postulate of the Congolese approach: “Peace is the absolute prerequisite.” She clearly stated that the Washington process, initiated under American mediation, focused first and foremost on resolving the security crisis ravaging eastern DRC for three decades.

According to her, the country bears an inestimable human and economic cost, marked by the destruction of infrastructure, massive displacements and the plundering of resources. “Without peace, there is neither development, nor regional integration, nor investments. For the DRC, only peace can guarantee business,” insisted Tina Salama.

The Spokesperson for President Tshisekedi was keen to dispel any ambiguity concerning the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Congo. She categorically refuted any idea of territorial cession or selling off of resources. The Washington agreements reaffirm the full sovereignty of the DRC over its soil and subsoil, guaranteeing exclusive control over the exploitation and transformation of minerals.

The primacy of Congolese law over any mechanism of economic cooperation is enshrined in the text, thus protecting the country’s mineral sovereignty. The economic objective of the Regional Integration Framework (CIR) is to replace the contraband economy with a legal and secure economy, transforming conflict zones into poles of opportunity while protecting local communities, notably artisanal miners.

The peace agreement explicitly aims to end the cycle of violence, notably through the withdrawal of foreign forces, the neutralisation of the FDLR and the drying up of all war financing networks.

Regarding security forces, Tina Salama was clear: the agreement does not legitimise any presence of foreign troops and provides for neither collective blending nor mixing.

Any reintegration of former combatants will be strictly individual, conditional and rigorously controlled, drawing lessons from past failures. The Government Spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, for his part, clarified the root causes often invoked by Rwanda, recalling that the influx of Rwandan refugees onto Congolese soil after the genocide was accepted by Congo for humanitarian reasons, a burden for which the country is paying the price today.

An operational timetable (CONOPS), defining the withdrawal and economic transition commitments, will be put in place under the supervision of a joint committee, with the involvement of diplomatic mechanisms including the United States and Qatar, in order to deter any unilateral recourse to force.

By the Editorial Team with Prosper Buhuru and Opinion Info