- 6/27/2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted officials from the Democratic Republic and Rwanda at the State Department for a peace agreement signing ceremony.
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00:00Secretary Rubio, Foreign Minister Wagner, Foreign Minister
00:29of State Al-Hulaifi, African Union Chairperson Youssef, Foreign Minister Dussé, Ambassadors,
00:42members of Congress, distinguished guests, members of the media, ladies and gentlemen,
00:50thank you for joining for the historic signing of a comprehensive peace agreement between
00:57the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda.
01:02In a moment, Secretary Rubio and the Foreign Ministers of the DRC and Rwanda will sign an
01:10agreement that builds on the Declaration of Principles signed here on April 25th.
01:18With their signatures, the peace agreement will enter into force, bringing an end to
01:25a 30-year conflict and setting both countries and their people on a path towards peace and
01:33prosperity. This would not be possible without the leadership and vision of President Trump.
01:41He has made peace a priority of his administration and we have taken up his call to find a peaceful
01:51resolution to this conflict. I would like to recognize the tireless work that both foreign
01:58ministers and their teams put in to reaching this agreement. I would also like to recognize the
02:06partnership from the government of Qatar, who is driving towards a parallel agreement between
02:13the government of the DRC and the M23 armed group. In addition, I would like to acknowledge that the work
02:23done under the auspices of the African Union was critical for reaching this agreement. We look forward to
02:31coordinating with the AU chairperson and Togoli's president, who is serving as the AU facilitator to ensure
02:40implementation of the agreement. Finally, I would like to recognize the team here at the Department of State, who
02:50facilitated the discussions and helped guide both sides towards this agreement. I will now turn to Secretary Rubio for opening remarks.
03:00Thank you. And I'm honored all of you are here today. I'm honored to be joined by my counterparts from the
03:07Democratic Republic of Congo and from Rwanda and the hard work you both put in to make this happen. This was not easy.
03:14And there's still work to be done, obviously, in terms of implementation, but we're very honored you're both here.
03:19It's been an honor to work with both of you. We have a lot of people to thank. Obviously, the great team here at the
03:23Department of State, who did a great job. Mr. Bulos, who did a phenomenal job. He's been on the job now about ten weeks and
03:29jumped all over this and really worked it hard. And you did a great job. And we are grateful to you for all of your work.
03:36Obviously, this could not have happened without such close friends and partners in the African Union and in Qatar.
03:42We're working a lot lately with Qatar. We're doing a lot of things with you guys. And you've been very instrumental in the
03:50African Union. Well, that just couldn't have happened. I mean, you may put everybody together. I do want to
03:54recognize my, what I say, former colleagues. It wasn't six months ago I was still a senator, but they're here now,
04:00Senators Rounds and Risch. Senator Risch is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a very close friend of
04:06mine. And he's obviously watched this issue very closely. He's made it a priority. And Senator Rounds has been
04:11talking to me about this before I was even nominated to the position and even during the
04:16nomination process. And we have others who were not able to make it today that I also
04:19want to recognize. Senator Coons and Booker. There's been a lot of interest in this and we're
04:24grateful to all of them. They were invited, but I guess, you know, there's stuff going on in the Senate,
04:29as you know. But we're grateful that both of you were here and it's instrumental. This is an important
04:34moment after 30 years of war. President Trump is a president of peace. He really does want peace.
04:40He prioritizes it above all else. We saw his intervention in the conflict between India
04:45and Pakistan. We saw his intervention most recently is a few days ago in a very dangerous
04:50war, right? A very dangerous war that could have really spiraled out of control. And his
04:54intervention made that possible. And there are other places that we want to see this, but we're
04:58very excited about this. And we can't wait to have the heads of state, the presidents of the
05:02respective countries here in Washington in a few weeks to finalize the complete protocol
05:08and agreement. But today is an important step in that direction. And we're grateful to be
05:12able to host it here at the Department of State. And just thinking, you know, we think
05:16sometimes about peace. It's not just about ending wars. It's about, and it's not just about
05:20saving lives. It's about allowing people to live. It's about allowing people to now have dreams
05:25and hopes for a better life, for prosperity, for economic opportunity, for a family
05:29reunification, for all the things that make life worth living. Those things become impossible
05:34when there's war and when there's conflict. So we're grateful to have played the role we've
05:38played. We acknowledge and recognize there's still more work to be done. But we thank you
05:43all very much for being a part of this historic and important day. This is really why I wanted
05:48this job or why I embraced this job so much is moments like this. This is, in essence, the
05:54Department of State is really the Department of Peace. It's designed to bring people together,
05:59both in our relations with other countries, but to the extent we can use the stature and
06:03the influence of the United States to bring others together. It makes the world a better
06:07place. And I honestly believe that when there's peace in the world among friends who may have
06:11disagreements and conflict, it does make help America. It does help make America
06:15stronger and safer and more prosperous. It gives us people with partners we can do business with
06:20and partners that we can work with to address insecurity and threats to our national security
06:26and to our collective national security. So we are grateful to both of you. I know how
06:30hard this was and how much work went into it. And we know there's more work to be done.
06:34But we are grateful to have you here today. We're honored to be a part of this. We're excited
06:38to be a part of it. And again, I do want to thank everyone here in our Africa Bureau and at the Department of State.
06:43And once again, our superstar there, Mr. Boulos. What do you want to do next after you're done this?
06:49Yeah, very important. Actually, very, very important. And you're very involved in that as well.
06:53So what are you guys doing this week in Qatar? You guys want to work on that?
06:58We are grateful to all of you. Thank you. Thank you.
07:02Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I now turn to the Foreign Minister of Rwanda for remarks.
07:07Thank you very much. Thank you.
07:10Thank you. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
07:14Minister Therese Gail Prama-Batner.
07:17Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Yusuf.
07:21Minister of State, Mohamed Ali Kulaifi of Qatar.
07:26My colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Togo, Robert Dusset.
07:30Senators, dear colleagues, good afternoon.
07:34Let me begin by expressing our sincere appreciation to President Donald Trump for his personal engagement in facilitating this historic agreement.
07:47We also extend our gratitude to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Special Advisor, Massad Boulos, and the entire State Department team.
07:56Your dedication has been indispensable.
07:59This agreement is the product of mass of coordinated efforts by multiple actors.
08:06It is very important to note that the State of Qatar has played an absolutely central role.
08:13Indeed, the opening which led to today's agreement began in Doha.
08:19We will lend our full support in the weeks ahead to Qatar's mediation efforts, led by Minister of State Mohamed Al-Kulaifi, to secure a peace agreement between the DRC Government and the AFC M23.
08:34This process is already well underway.
08:38Today's agreement also builds on the Africa-led peace initiatives, which are heavily led by the African Union facilitator, President for Nya Simbe of Togo.
08:50The heart of this peace agreement is the decision to establish a standing joint security coordination mechanism between DRC and Rwanda.
09:01The first order of business is to begin implementing of the concept of operations for the neutralization of the FDLR to be accompanied by a lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures.
09:13This is grounded in the commitment made here for an irreversible and verifiable end to state support for FDLR and associated militias.
09:25That is the bedrock of peace and security in our region.
09:30FDLR is no ordinary militia.
09:33It is the remnant of the forces which committed the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, in which a million people were killed.
09:42With this agreement, we also committed to facilitate the return of refugees in our respective territories with the support of the UNHCR.
09:52Creating the conditions for the safe and dignified return of refugees is vital to achieve lasting peace.
10:01We also took to enhanced economic cooperation, including with American companies and investors.
10:07Shared growth and cross-border cooperation will unlock tangible dividends for both our countries.
10:14We must acknowledge that there is a great deal of uncertainty in our region and beyond because many previous agreements have not been implemented.
10:26And there is no doubt that the road ahead will not be easy.
10:29But with the continued support of the United States and other partners, we believe that a turning point has been reached.
10:38Rwanda stands ready to work with the DRC to deliver on our joint commitments.
10:44To conclude, allow me to once again express Rwanda's appreciation to all who have contributed to this milestone.
10:51Thank you, Mr. Minister.
10:59I now turn to the Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
11:03Mr. Secretary of State, the Honourable Senator Marco Rubio, Dr. Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor for African Affairs,
11:12His Excellency, Mr. Mahmoud Ali Yousouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
11:17His Excellency, Mr. Olivier Ndung-Hiré, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Rwanda,
11:22His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Bin-Abnoul Aziz Olaifi, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar,
11:30His Excellency, Mr. Robert Dusset, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Togo,
11:37Senators, Excellencies, distinguished guests,
11:41and to all Congolese citizens following this movement, wherever you may be.
11:46Two months ago in this very room, we signed a Declaration of Principles,
11:50a first tangible step to break with deadlock and chart a path towards peace.
11:55Today, that choice takes shape, and sustained efforts have come to fruition.
11:59With this peace agreement, we open a new chapter,
12:02one that calls not only for commitment, but for the courage to see it through.
12:07By signing this agreement, we reaffirm a simple truth.
12:10Peace is a choice, but also a responsibility.
12:13To respect international law, to uphold human rights,
12:17and to protect the sovereignty of states.
12:20Those who have suffered the most are watching.
12:23They are expecting this agreement to be respected, and we cannot fail them.
12:28This agreement builds on the efforts of many.
12:31First and foremost, we want to express our sincere gratitude to His Excellency,
12:36President Donald J. Trump, for his commitments to this peace process.
12:40His leadership kept this process focused and goal-oriented, and that from day one.
12:47This was further characterized by the quality and resolve of the entire U.S. team,
12:52illustrated by the critical support of Senator Rubio and Dr. Boulos.
12:57We salute His Excellency, President Félix-Antoine Chisekedi-Chilombo, for choosing the harder path,
13:02a peace rooted in principle and in the dignity of our people.
13:06We thank President João Lourenço of Angola, facilitator of the Rwanda process,
13:11for laying critical foundations.
13:13We are also grateful to the State of Qatar and to His Highness the Amir,
13:18whose leadership was instrumental in convening the first direct meeting between our two heads of states in March,
13:25a courageous step that laid the groundwork for dialogue.
13:29Qatar has since facilitated further talks in Doha,
13:32and remained a principled and steady partner throughout this peace effort.
13:37The African Union, through its chairperson and the appointed facilitator,
13:41His Excellency Fournier Sengbe of Togo, have anchored this process in African ownership.
13:46Finally, we thank the negotiating team of both the DRC and Rwanda for their perseverance and devotion.
13:53This moment has been long in coming.
13:56It will not erase the pain, but it can begin to restore what conflict has robbed many women, men and children of.
14:02Safety, dignity and a sense of future.
14:06For the Great Lakes region, it offers a rare chance to turn the page.
14:10Not just with words, but with real change on the ground.
14:13Some wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear.
14:17They may grow over, but the skin will forever remain thin and frail.
14:23And deep down, the flesh will still remember.
14:26At times we will feel numb, and at others we will feel a sudden pang that will remind us of what was lost forever.
14:33The scars we carry on our bodies and in our souls will remind us of what must never be forgotten, repeated or accepted.
14:41A few days ago in Kinshasa, a coalition of women's organizations shared a clear message with me.
14:47We do not want a peace shaped by elites. We want a peace that is real, lived, shared and built with us.
15:02To our fellow citizens in the East, this agreement was signed with you in mind.
15:06It provides for the disengagement of armed forces, the protection of civilians, the return of displaced persons and of refugees under government authority,
15:14and establishes a follow-up mechanism to ensure compliance.
15:18These are not just words on paper. They must now be translated into action, justice, accountability and political will.
15:25This peace agreement is the starting point, not the end goal.
15:29It must now be followed by disengagement, justice and the return of displaced families and the return of refugees, both to the DRC and Rwanda.
15:38However, no text, however carefully negotiated, can carry on its own the weight of peace.
15:45I still remember, on the day we signed the Declaration of Principles, a member of the US team said,
15:51If it were easy, it would have been done a long time ago.
15:54That holds true now more than ever. What we have signed is only as strong as our will to implement it.
16:01We, the DRC, will certainly and resolutely fight for this agreement to be respected, not with our words, but with our deeds.
16:09Today, we have chosen peace. What matters now is that we protect it and prove to our people, and to the world,
16:16that even in a region marked by deep scars, dignity and cooperation can prevail.
16:22So now, our work truly begins. Thank you.
16:26Thank you, Madam Minister. It's now my honor to invite the parties to sign the peace agreement to be witnessed by Secretary Rubio.
16:51The agreement being signed includes provisions on the respect for territorial integrity and the prohibition of hostilities,
17:08the disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups,
17:16the establishment of a joint security coordination mechanism,
17:21the facilitation of the return of refugees and internally displaced persons,
17:27as well as humanitarian access, the reaffirmation of MONUSCO's mandate,
17:35and the establishment of a regional economic integration framework.
17:40The agreement also includes an annex on the functioning of the joint security coordination mechanism,
17:50and the full text of the concept of operations of the harmonized plan for the neutralization of the FDLR,
18:00and disengagement of forces slash lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda,
18:07which was agreed to under the auspices of the Rwanda process on October 31, 2024,
18:15and adopted by the foreign ministers on November 25, 2024.
18:21With the party's signatures today, the agreement immediately enters into force.
18:27Thank you very much. Congratulations.
18:30This concludes the proceedings.
18:45Kindly stay seated while the parties depart.
18:57Can we get a presentation with the team?
18:59Yes, please.
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