PRELIMINARY PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN KINSHASA AND KIGALI: Will the fruits live up to the promise of the flowers?

Under the auspices of the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda initialed a peace agreement in Washington on June 18, with the official signing scheduled for June 27.

This preliminary agreement was reached after several days of intensive dialogue and behind-the-scenes negotiations between experts from both countries, meeting in Uncle Sam's country, under the watchful eye of U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker. It marks an important step in the search for peace and solutions to their ongoing conflict. This preliminary agreement is, to say the least, an important step in the process of rapprochement between Kinshasa and Kigali.

If the Agreement is officially signed, it would be a decisive step in the search for peace.

This is all the more true given that, aside from the Doha summit on March 18th, which brought together Presidents Félix Tshilombo and Paul Kagame alongside the Emir of Qatar, no high-level meeting has been held that brought together experts from these two countries in direct discussions.

The aim was to find a compromise to resolve the crisis and lay the foundations for lasting peace in this conflict that is poisoning the atmosphere between Kinshasa and Kigali and has already left many victims on the ground. This preliminary agreement is all the more a source of hope for a de-escalation between the two neighbors, given that no mediation has so far succeeded in making them smoke the peace pipe.

In any case, there is reason for hope. Because, following the official signing of this agreement scheduled for a week from now, according to some sources, a summit meeting between the two heads of state is looming in the very near future, in the presence of the White House occupant himself, President Donald Trump. This shows how encouraging the signs are.

Be that as it may, in the interest of efficiency and consistency in international efforts, Qatar was involved in the Washington discussions, where Doha participated as an observer. This also shows how everything is being done in advance to ensure a successful outcome of this initiative. The question that arises is whether the fruits of this preliminary agreement will live up to the promise... of the hopes raised. This question is all the more valid because, until the official agreement is signed, anything remains possible in this conflict, where the protagonists have accustomed us to twists and turns amidst delaying tactics and missed opportunities.

This is why we're keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that the June 27th deadline will be met. Because misunderstandings can easily arise if yet another event, or even a third, disruptive event, does not jeopardize the ongoing process. In any case, if the Agreement is officially signed, it would be a decisive step in the search for peace in this conflict that threatens the stability of the entire Great Lakes region.

If the process were to reach a successful conclusion, it would be a diplomatic victory for Trump.

This region has long been shaken by decades of armed conflict amid rivalries and disagreements between neighboring countries. In any case, if the process were to reach a successful conclusion, it would be a diplomatic victory for President Donald Trump, who would undoubtedly reap the political dividends. Even if the contrast between his image as a peacemaker between the DRC and Rwanda and his attitude of blind support for Israel in the merciless war that the Jewish state has unleashed against Iran remains striking. But such is the way of the world. Only interests guide the way.

And it's all the more understandable that the United States is investing in the Congolese issue, doing everything it can to reconcile the two antagonistic presidents, given that, upstream, Washington was engaged in negotiations aimed at making its assistance in securing eastern DRC conditional on easy access to the rare minerals that provide all the wealth of this vast Central African country.

In any case, now that the process is underway, the key is to reach an agreement. And everything suggests that Donald Trump holds all the cards to achieve this. Will peace in the DRC then come through Washington? It's a wait-and-see situation.

UPDF leaders visit NLM at Murindi in Gicumbi

 

A group of Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) leaders visited the National Liberation Museum located at Mulindi w Intwari in Gicumbi District, where they were briefed on the history of the Rwandan liberation struggle.

Rwanda national police closes a training for senior officers

 The rwanda national police College located in musanze district will host the closing ceremony of the 13th batch of the one-year Police Senior Command and Staff Course, consisting of 34 students at the level of Senior Officers from nine African countries.

DRC files a complaint against Rwanda

WHAT IS THIS LETTER?

This is an official notice from the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, informing us that it will render a judgment in a case between the DRC and Rwanda.

WHAT IS THIS CASE?

The DRC filed a complaint against Rwanda before the African Court because of:

Rwandan aggression through the M23,

massacres, looting, population displacement, and other serious human rights violations in eastern Congo.

PURPOSE OF THE LETTER:

The Court announces that it will soon decide whether:

1. It has jurisdiction to hear this case between the DRC and Rwanda.

2. The DRC's complaint is admissible (i.e., does it meet the rules for being heard).

This is not yet the final judgment, but it is a very important step that could pave the way for an international trial against Rwanda.

WHEN WILL THE DECISION TAKE PLACE?

June 26, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Arusha time)

From the seat of the Court in Arusha, Tanzania

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Because for the first time, an African international institution may recognize that Rwanda is committing crimes in the DRC.

FARDC massively recruiting and trainings in Nyaleke

Since the beginning of this week, accelerated military training for recruits in the Reserve for the Defense of the Homeland (RADP) has effectively begun at the Nyaleke Training Center, located about ten kilometers from the city of Beni, in North Kivu.

Open to all segments of the population, including traders, students, former Mai-Mai militiamen, and members of the Wazalendo, this intensive training is scheduled to last 45 days.

According to local sources around the training camp,upon completion of the training, each recruit will receive a certificate, a registration number, and will be able to begin receiving an incentive bonus.

Among the first waves of recruits, two former national parliamentarians (2018-2024) were notable: Tembos Yotama and Mathieu Mathe, who joined the process as a sign of patriotism.

DRC army acquires more than 100 Kasser II armoured vehicles

 

The Congolese army is strengthening its arsenal with more than a hundred UAE-designed Kasser II armored vehicles.

The Kasser II are mine-resistant, ambush-resistant armored vehicles (MRAPs) designed for transporting troops over hostile terrain.

According to military intelligence sources from Kinshasha,this capacity building is part of a military strategy aimed at strengthening the FARDC's capabilities to address modern security challenges.

Violent clashes around Bukavu,Wazalendo claims sorrounding the city.

According  to our confidant sources in Bukavu,tViolent clashes were reported this Thursday around Bukavu. Other intelligence  collections indicate that the city is  surrounded by young Wazalendo patriots. A citizens' movement is calling on the M23 rebels to withdraw from Bukavu to avoid a bloodbath. "They are more than determined to retake the city within 48 hours, but they have also already surrounded the surroundings of Bukavu," this organization warns.

According our good source close to M23,they swear that nothing will push them out of Bukavu and cannot loose any liberated land whether in North or south kivu.