In The Ceasefire Between Rwanda And The DRC, Peace Is An Afterthought
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In The Ceasefire Between Rwanda And The DRC, Peace Is An Afterthought
RWANDA / DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
There was much fanfare after a peace agreement was signed in late June to end decades of warfare between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Officials such as US President Donald Trump hailed the US-brokered agreement as a big step in finally stopping a brutal conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions just this year.
“Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity, harmony, prosperity and peace,” Trump told the foreign ministers of the two countries at the White House signing, calling the agreement the “Washington Accord.”
But despite the ceremonies and the plaudits, many observers just shake their heads, saying the peace won’t hold because it wasn’t the main aim in the first place.
“While Trump has all but proclaimed a historic peace, worthy in his mind of the Nobel Peace Prize he covets, the war has raged on, deepening a humanitarian catastrophe worsened by the impact of US funding cuts to international aid,” wrote World Politics Review. “These contradictions have fueled skepticism among observers about whether these diplomatic breakthroughs will deliver on the ambitious promises made to the people of the region, or whether they are simply politically expedient transactional exchanges based on narrow security and economic interests.”
In this deal, the DRC and Rwanda have agreed to respect each other’s territorial integrity and cease hostilities, while the agreement also paves the way for greater US investment in the DRC’s critical minerals.
Another agreement, negotiated by Qatar in July, was signed by the DRC and the M23 militia, the Rwanda-backed rebel group that invaded parts of eastern DRC earlier this year.
It pledges to end the fighting in the eastern DRC but doesn’t address Rwandan and M23 withdrawals from that region or when Congolese authority over the captured territory will resume. It does, however, set a date for negotiations for a peace agreement – Aug. 8 – and a deadline 10 days later to finalize a deal.
The problem is that both agreements do little to address the root causes of the conflict, omissions that some say will preclude a lasting peace. Others, however, are more optimistic, adding that they promote long-term stability in the region.
The fighting between the two countries has its roots in the Rwandan genocide in 1994. After it ended, some of those responsible fled to the DRC to escape retribution from troops led by Paul Kagame, who led a rebel army in the 1990s and has been president of Rwanda since 2000.
Since then, Rwanda has periodically invaded the DRC – either directly or through its proxies – it says to capture those former Rwandan soldiers, some of whom formed the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Those attempts have led to two regional wars that killed millions of people in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The fighting, however, continues to this day, now involving more than 120 militias and armed groups active in the eastern provinces of the DRC – some are aligned with Rwanda or the Congolese army, while others fight Burundi or Uganda, or are affiliated with Islamic State.
During the most recent flare-up that began in January, the M23 militia, backed by Rwanda, marched into the eastern region and captured territory that included the regional centers of Goma and Bukavu. M23’s brutal advance, which killed 7,000 people and displaced millions, threatened to blow up into another regional war, drawing in Burundi, Uganda, and South Africa.
That’s part of the problem with the peace agreements now, say observers. They fail to involve other regional players in a conflict that is broader than just the DRC or Rwanda.
Another issue is that it is based on narrow interests beyond peace, say analysts. For example, the US wants to displace China, which dominates the mineral-rich country’s mining sector and open the door for its investors. Qatar is looking out for its existing investments in Rwanda and the DRC. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, who as per the agreement has promised to disband the FDLR, wants to stay in power and keep his country together.
Meanwhile, Rwanda and its M23 partners, which hold the cards, have no interest in leaving the eastern part of the Congo without the threat of harsh sanctions or a steep payoff, say observers, adding that such a carrot-and-stick approach may not be enough to offset the territorial ambitions of Rwanda and the riches they covet from the region.
In the DRC, meanwhile, locals speak about the peace deals as if they have heard it all before.
“People are tired,” one resident of Goma told the BBC. “They are not interested in talks. All they want is peace.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Russia Stays Course Following US Submarine And Tariff Threat
RUSSIA
US President Donald Trump over the weekend ordered two nuclear submarines to be repositioned to “appropriate regions” in response to escalating tensions with Russia over the stalled Ukraine peace talks – and a heated social media exchange, with the Kremlin signaling no shift in its position ahead of Trump’s ceasefire deadline, Al Jazeera reported.
Tensions began escalating Friday following a war of words between Trump and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on social media after the US president warned that Moscow must agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by this Friday or face a new package of economic sanctions.
Medvedev, who is currently deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned that the threat was “a step toward war” and accused Trump of “playing the ultimatum game.”
Trump called Medvedev’s words “foolish and inflammatory” and announced the deployment of the submarines as a precautionary step.
It’s unclear which submarines were deployed or where they were repositioned.
Analysts say the move came amid growing frustration in Washington over the lack of progress in ending Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. Despite previous pledges to resolve the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, Trump’s diplomatic overtures have yielded little progress.
Trump has also lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he is “disappointed” with the Russian leader, while criticizing recent Russian airstrikes on Kyiv.
Putin and other Russian officials have not directly commented on Trump’s statements.
Still, Russian lawmaker Viktor Vodolatsky dismissed the threat, claiming Russia has “significantly more nuclear submarines in the world’s oceans” than the US and that American subs have “long been under their control.”
Separately, the Russian president said Friday that he hoped for a “long and lasting peace” with Ukraine but claimed that battlefield momentum favored Russian forces, Reuters added.
He avoided direct mention of Trump’s deadline of Aug. 8 to resolve the war but noted that negotiations must take place “calmly” and in private.
Meanwhile, security analysts suggested that Trump’s order appeared to be symbolic, rather than operational, since US nuclear-powered submarines are routinely stationed around the globe as part of a policy of strategic deterrence.
However, they called the move an “escalation of rhetoric” and cautioned it was inappropriate to invoke nuclear threats amid ongoing diplomacy.
Pakistani Court Imprisons 108 Members Of The Opposition
PAKISTAN
A Pakistani court sentenced 108 members of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party to prison for their alleged roles in the deadly 2023 nationwide protests that followed Khan’s arrest, delivering a major blow to the embattled opposition, Euronews reported.
On Thursday, the anti-terrorism court issued the sentences to members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), with the defendants including Omar Ayub Khan, a senior PTI leader and the official opposition leader, who received a 10-year prison term.
He did not participate in the May 2023 demonstrations but was found guilty of aiding and abetting violence and plotting to incite riots and arson.
The ruling also disqualified six PTI lawmakers from parliament, further diminishing the party’s political presence as it continues to reel from a sweeping crackdown since last year.
Opposition politicians criticized the allegations as “baseless” and described the court’s decision as a “dark moment” for Pakistan’s democracy.
PTI said it would appeal the convictions.
Thursday’s verdict comes more than two years after protests erupted across the country following Khan’s arrest on corruption charges in May 2023.
The demonstrations quickly escalated into violence, with Khan’s supporters accused of attacking military installations, government buildings, and vehicles.
At least 10 people were killed.
In response, the government launched a major crackdown on the PTI, arresting thousands and charging its top leadership under terrorism laws.
Despite remaining hugely popular, Khan has remained in prison since August 2023 and faces more than 150 legal cases, including allegations of terrorism and leaking state secrets, the BBC added.
He and his supporters insist that the charges against him are politically motivated.
Although barred from running candidates in the 2024 general election, PTI-backed independent candidates won the most seats in the National Assembly but were blocked from forming a government.
Bosnian Court Upholds Sentence For Serb Leader
BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
An appeals court in Bosnia-Herzegovina upheld a one-year prison sentence for pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, escalating political tensions in the deeply divided country and drawing strong condemnation from neighboring Serbia, the Associated Press reported.
Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, the ethnic Serb-run entity of Bosnia, was convicted in February for defying rulings by the international envoy overseeing the implementation of the Dayton Accords signed in 1995 between Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia, that ended the war in Bosnia.
On Friday, the higher court upheld the previous decision, adding that the ruling was not subject to appeal. However, Dodik’s lawyers said they would attempt to appeal to Bosnia’s highest court.
The court also banned Dodik from holding office for six years, a ruling that the defendant vowed to defy, Reuters reported.
Instead, the Serb leader rejected the verdict as a “political decision” orchestrated by Bosnian Muslims with support from the European Union. He pledged to continue serving in his post with backing from the Republika Srpska’s parliament and said he would seek support from Serbia, Russia, and the new US administration.
Dodik has long pushed for Republika Srpska’s secession from Bosnia in order to unite with Serbia. He has repeatedly challenged the authority of Bosnia’s central institutions and the international high representative, Christian Schmidt, who oversees the Dayton Accords.
The Dayton Accords ended Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war and created a power-sharing structure dividing the country into two entities – the Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation – linked by weak central institutions.
In response to the February conviction, the Serb entity’s parliament passed laws banning Bosnia’s judicial authorities and police from operating in Serb territory.
Bosnia’s constitutional court annulled those laws in May.
The former Biden administration had previously sanctioned Dodik for separatism, corruption, and close ties to Moscow.
The EU called on all parties to respect the independence of the judiciary and the binding nature of the verdict, which some observers warn may have triggered Bosnia’s worst political crisis in decades, according to Agence France-Presse.
On Saturday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić criticized the ruling as “a destabilizing factor” in the region. Vučić said Serbia would not arrest Dodik if a warrant were issued and that he remained welcome on Serbian territory as the “legitimately, legally elected president of Republika Srpska.”
Officials in Belgrade also called the verdict “a serious attack on the Serbian people of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” warning it risked inciting ethnic conflict and undermining the Dayton Accords.
DISCOVERIES
Oysters And Shipwrecks
A century-old shipwreck lying at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Belgium has been given a new purpose – to serve as a breeding ground for a stash of rare flat oysters.
They have nowhere else to go.
“Until around the 1850s, the North Sea and the European waters were full of these oyster reefs,” project engineer Vicky Stratigaki told Agence France-Presse.
Today, it is almost impossible to find the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) in the North Sea, as it has been nearly wiped out by overfishing, environmental degradation, and a persistent parasite.
“We have to bring them back because they are essential elements in our marine ecosystems,” continued Stratigaki.
Flat oysters, often called ecosystem engineers, create reefs that serve as breeding and feeding grounds for a wide range of marine animals, from fish to algae, Blue Cluster explained.
They also play a role in purifying the water, capturing excess nitrogen, and stabilizing the seabed.
Following over a year of preparation for this project, called Belreefs, the team deployed 200,000 oysters into the sea using a specialized installation vessel. The mollusks were attached to what is known as a reef substrate.
After studying various biodegradable materials that could serve as reef substrate, the team chose baked clay tiles as a base for the oysters. Oyster larvae were then seeded onto these tiles and cultivated for several weeks before being placed on a gravel bed about 100 feet below sea level, near the shipwreck.
The 1906 shipwreck, known as Kilmore, is located about 20 miles off the coastal city of Ostend in northern Belgium. It was selected for the project as fishing and other disruptive activities are banned around it.
In Belgium, any shipwreck that has been on the seafloor for more than a century is automatically protected as cultural heritage, explained marine environment expert Merel Oeyen.
The team chose the location as it had the most suitable seabed and environmental conditions for the oysters.
“We expect that over 30,000 oyster larvae will grow into adult oysters,” said Oeyen. “The survivors will reproduce, expand the reef, and attract other marine species. This will create a self-sustaining ecosystem that requires no further human intervention.”
After the installation, an intensive monitoring program will closely observe the reef’s growth and assess its effect on local biodiversity.
The goal is to restore biodiversity in the area, say researchers, boosting other marine species as well.