‘New chapter of hope’: Marco Rubio hails Rwanda-DRC peace deal; credits Trump for claimed truce of India-Pakistan

US secretary of state Marco Rubio (AP)

US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Friday hailed President Donald Trump’s diplomatic method to world conflicts, crediting his management for breakthroughs in some of the world’s most complicated conflicts.“Whether it’s been in Ukraine and Russia, whether it’s been Pakistan-India, whether it’s been Iran and Israel, and in the continent of Africa, President Trump’s priority has been on peace and today we see this come to fruition,” Rubio mentioned on the White House.Rubio’s reward is a component of a bigger sample of the present administration’s efforts to finish world conflicts, together with a claimed truce between India and Pakistan and diminished tensions within the Middle East, all below what Rubio describes as Trump’s “peace-first” method.His remarks got here throughout a media briefing with Trump and Vice President JD Vance following the signing of a landmark peace settlement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of Africa’s deadliest and most complicated conflicts in current a long time.The deal, signed in Washington on Friday, commits each nations to finish help for armed insurgent teams, notably the M23 and FDLR militias, and units a timeline for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from japanese Congo. It additionally establishes a joint safety coordination physique and lays the groundwork for regional financial cooperation.Trump, who welcomed the overseas ministers of Rwanda and DRC to the White House, referred to as it “a wonderful day,” including, “Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity.”The battle had escalated earlier this 12 months after M23 rebels, broadly believed to be backed by Rwanda, captured swathes of territory in mineral-rich japanese Congo. While Rwanda has denied direct involvement, the deal now calls for the “neutralization” of the FDLR, a Hutu insurgent group with hyperlinks to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.Rwandan overseas minister Olivier Nduhungirehe mentioned ending help for Hutu militants ought to be the “first order of business,” whereas his Congolese counterpart Therese Kayikwamba Wagner mentioned the deal provides “a rare chance to turn the page.”Trump additionally emphasised the strategic advantages to the US, noting it might acquire “a lot of mineral rights from the Congo,” a area wealthy in cobalt and lithium.The settlement drew extensive however not common reward.Bintu Keita, a senior UN official within the DRC, mentioned it “marks a decisive step toward peace and stability,” whereas Germany hailed the “excellent news” and referred to as for implementation.UN envoy Bintou Keita referred to as the deal “a decisive step toward peace,” although Nobel laureate Denis Mukwege warned it risked rewarding “aggression” and legitimizing “plunder” of Congolese sources.