Fresh off a nuclear de-escalation in Asia, President Trump announced a peace deal in the Congo/Rwanda conflict, ending a war that has claimed 6 million lives over 30 years.
“Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity, harmony, prosperity and peace,” said President Donald Trump at a White House meeting flanked by the foreign ministers of the two countries.
A signing ceremony was hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the State Department’s Treaty Room before moving events to the Oval Office.
As part of the agreement, both sides agreed to end both national aggression and the support for rebel groups inside each other’s countries. Key to the deal’s long-term success were promises of economic integration with each side granting deeper business ties to the other. The idea is to link the countries economically so that both will be incentivized to keep the peace.
Trump vowed severe consequences to either side if they break the treat. The United Nations has nearly 14,000 peacekeepers deployed in the Congo. (RELATED: Spanberger: Police Immigration Enforcement “A Distraction of Resources”)
“Despite all of its flaws and all of the challenges ahead, it’s a big deal and is a promising pathway forward,” said Jason K. Stearns, founder of the Congo Research Group at New York University.
Trump has made world peace negotiations a hallmark of both of his Presidential terms and has expressed a desire to make conflict resolution a core part of his Presidential legacy.
Pakistan credits Trump’s intervention with the peaceful resolution to a four-day conflict between them and neighboring India. Both nations sport nuclear weapons. India denies US involvement with the deal, while the Pakistani government claims the US had “robust diplomatic engagement” with both sides “which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation.”
Pakistan announced it will nominate President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the first few months of his Presidency, a move the Nobel Secretary now says he regrets. (RELATED: Youngkin Leads Trade Mission to France, UK for Jobs Push)