During a State Department press briefing, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott was asked about the peace deal between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo that is scheduled to be signed tomorrow.
00:00Can I go to Africa, what you asked, what you talked about at the beginning?
00:05What exactly is being signed tomorrow?
00:08Because Nobel Peace Prize winner Dennis McWaigge said that this peace process has been opaque, non-inclusive, that this deal rewards aggression.
00:20I mean, there was a, he's been very critical of this.
00:23I'm wondering what exactly is being signed here?
00:25Oh, so first of all, as you mentioned, tomorrow Secretary Rubio will host the ministerial signing of the peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda right here at the State Department.
00:36There are provisions on respect for territorial integrity and a prohibition of hostilities, disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,
00:46establishment of a joint security coordination mechanism that incorporates the CONOPS of October 31st, 2024,
00:54facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as humanitarian access and a regional economic integration framework.
01:03So, though I would stress also what was mentioned in my topper, that it is with implementation of this agreement that the economic investment and development we all want to see will be possible.
01:13So you talk about regional framework, but this is just between two countries, and there are a lot of countries involved in this conflict.
01:19Well, I think ultimately, again, I'll refer you to the comments I just had there.
01:22There will be more information as we approach the day itself, but this is good news.
01:27This is good news.
01:28This is a fantastic achievement.
01:30We're proud to support this effort, and we applaud this effort.
