The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda signed a United States-brokered peace accord on 27 June in Washington, ending three decades of hostilities that have destabilised eastern Congo. Witnessed in the Oval Office by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the pact commits both nations to respect each other’s territorial integrity, halt military operations, withdraw foreign forces, disarm non-state armed groups and establish a joint security coordination mechanism. It also envisages unfettered humanitarian access, the return of refugees and a framework for regional economic integration centred on critical minerals. UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the African Union and several Security Council members hailed the agreement as “a significant step” toward regional stability. The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO called it an encouraging milestone and, in New York, US acting ambassador Dorothy Shea urged the Council to ensure MONUSCO is fully resourced to support implementation. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, marking the DRC’s 65th Independence Day on 30 June, said the accord ushers in “a new era of stability, cooperation and prosperity” and announced plans to meet Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Washington in the coming weeks to review progress. Analysts cautioned that the truce’s durability hinges on parallel negotiations with the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency and other militias operating in North Kivu. Qatar-led mediation with M23 continues, and the United States has linked the accord’s success to those talks. Separately, six armed groups in Ituri province—CODECO, Zaire, MAPI, FRPI, FPIC and Chini Ya Tuna—signed a local cessation-of-hostilities agreement on 28 June, a move MONUSCO described as a complementary advance toward broader peace. The accord’s provisions are slated to be phased in over the next three months, with international monitors tracking troop withdrawals, demobilisation and humanitarian access. Donors and regional partners have signalled financial and logistical support, but commentators, including The Economist, warn that previous truces have collapsed and that sustained political will from Kinshasa, Kigali and armed factions will determine whether the latest deal translates into lasting security and economic recovery for the Great Lakes region.