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Here We Go Again: Washington Playing Mediator Between Congo and Rwanda. Is This a Sustainable Peace?

Gyslaine Kabisa

December 04, 2025

4 min read

Here We Go Again: Washington Playing Mediator Between Congo and Rwanda. Is This a Sustainable Peace?

Once again, we are watching a familiar scene: a Western power, this time the United States, stepping in to “help two Africans get along,” as if the root of the problem is simply a lack of communication. But to understand why Congo and Rwanda are here again, Americans need to know the real history behind this conflict, a history that didn’t start yesterday, and definitely not inside Congo.

This article is written for Americans who are unfamiliar with African affairs, and for Africans who have never been exposed to the true origins of the conflict imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by Rwanda.

The Trigger: The Assassination That Sparked the 1994 Genocide

The current regional crisis traces directly back to April 1994, when the plane carrying Rwanda’s Hutu president, Juvénal Habyarimana, was shot down. This assassination, widely believed to have been carried out by Paul Kagame’s Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), according to multiple investigations and testimonies, triggered one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century.

Immediately after the president’s death, extremist Hutu forces launched attacks on Tutsi civilians, and on any Hutus who opposed the violence. What followed is known globally as the Rwandan Genocide.

What the world rarely discusses, however, is that Kagame’s Tutsi army also stands accused of killing large numbers of Rwandans during the genocide, allegedly to increase the civilian death toll and attract international sympathy, accusations detailed in various testimonies and later echoed by UN investigations.

Chaos Spills Over Into Zaire (DRC)

As Rwanda collapsed into bloodshed, millions of Rwandan refugees fled into Zaire, now the DRC. Most were innocent civilians, women, children, and families escaping unthinkable violence. But among them were also former members of the Rwandan army and militias fleeing Kagame’s advancing forces.

Under pressure and humanitarian obligation, Zaire opened its borders. But this uncontrollable flow created a crisis that set the stage for decades of war.

Kagame’s Forces Enter Congo, and Mass Killings Follow

While pursuing the fleeing Hutu forces, Kagame’s Tutsi-led army crossed into Congo, not only targeting former genocidal fighters but killing massive numbers of Hutu civilians along the way. These killings, including massacres of women and children, are documented in the United Nations Mapping Report (2010), which describes actions by the RPF inside Congo that could qualify as crimes against humanity, war crimes, and even acts of genocide if proven in a competent court.

This same military presence eventually turned into a strategy: occupy eastern Congo, control territory, and seize mineral-rich land.

From “Pursuit” to a 30-Year Occupation by Proxy

The Kagame government has justified 30 years of activity inside Congo by claiming it is still searching for remaining Hutu militants. But the world now recognizes a different reality:

Rwandan-backed armed groups, including M23, have terrorized eastern Congo for decades.
The United Nations has repeatedly accused Rwanda of creating, supporting, financing, and disguising these rebels.
These groups have exploited Congolese minerals: coltan, gold, cassiterite, tungsten, feeding global tech and luxury markets while Congolese civilians suffer.

Even after 30 years, Rwanda continues to use the narrative of “pursuing Hutu militants” as justification for its presence in Congolese territory. Meanwhile, rebel groups backed by Kigali have strengthened their hold on strategic mining regions.

This is not a small matter; it is the foundation of the modern conflict.

2025: Washington Steps In, and Congolese Reactions Are Mixed

Now, in 2025, we find ourselves watching Donald Trump mediate between Congo and Rwanda, a dramatic political image for the world, and an emotional one for Congolese people.

Some Congolese see hope:
For the first time in years, Congo is in the global spotlight, and Kagame is being publicly pressured. His carefully constructed image, built over decades with Western PR support, is beginning to crack.

Others fear betrayal:
Some believe any peace deal brokered by foreign powers risks sacrificing Congolese sovereignty in exchange for temporary calm.

But regardless of the political moment, one truth remains:

No peace deal will bring lasting peace unless Kagame is forced to withdraw from Congolese land and dismantle his proxy forces.

And that has never happened in 30 years.

What Comes Next?

A paper agreement may silence guns temporarily, but it cannot erase decades of trauma, occupation, and theft.

The Congolese people will have to continue fighting for:

Real sovereignty
A real end to foreign-backed rebel groups
Control over their own mineral wealth
Justice for millions of lives lost or displaced since 1996

Washington can host meetings. Rwanda can sign documents. But true peace will only come when Kagame’s military and its proxies leave Congo for good.

And Here Is the Reality the World Must Not Ignore

After months of denying the presence of Rwandan troops in the DRC, during interviews, public statements, global forums, and media appearances, Paul Kagame now finds himself in Washington, sitting at a table to sign a peace deal for a war he claims he is not part of.

Ask yourself:
Would you sign a peace agreement for something you are not responsible for?

This moment matters.
Not just for Congo, but for global public opinion.

By signing this deal, Kagame is indirectly confirming what Congolese civilians have been saying for decades:

His troops are in the DRC.
Rwanda is involved.
Kigali is responsible for what is happening on Congolese land.

The world cannot pretend anymore.
The mask is slipping, and Washington just forced it to happen on an international stage.

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