The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on 27 June signed a United States-brokered peace accord in Washington aimed at ending decades of conflict in eastern Congo. UN Secretary-General António Guterres hailed the deal as “a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability” in the Great Lakes region, an assessment echoed by the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO and the Security Council. According to UN and MONUSCO statements, the agreement sets out five main commitments: a cessation of hostilities, respect for territorial integrity, disengagement and conditional disarmament of non-state armed groups, creation of a joint security coordination mechanism, and a framework for regional economic integration. The UN credited the United States for leading the mediation, with Qatar, African Union mediator President Faure Gnassingbé, and co-facilitators from the East African Community and SADC providing support. Security Council members have urged Kinshasa and Kigali to implement the terms in good faith under resolution 2773 (2025). Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on 5 July that Kigali would meet all its obligations under the accord, adding that the deal’s success depends on collective goodwill. Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi separately called on Washington and Doha to keep backing the merged Luanda-Nairobi peace track, saying sustained regional and international engagement remains critical. Attention is now turning to Doha, where delegations from the Congolese government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group opened talks on 10 July, seeking a broader truce that would complement the Kinshasa-Kigali agreement. A diplomat familiar with the discussions told AFP the negotiations are “moving in the right direction,” with Qatari mediators working alongside the African Union to address outstanding security and humanitarian issues.