Washington Hosts Kagame–Tshisekedi Talks as African Leaders Back Final Push for Congo Peace

By Brian Kiprono - Reporter

Washington D.C., U.S., 4 December 2025 - Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi have arrived in Washington for a high-stakes attempt to end one of Africa’s most stubborn conflicts.

The gathering, which brings together an unusually broad group of African and international actors, is being framed by the White House as the moment “a lasting peace becomes possible.”

Kenya’s President William Ruto is among the leaders attending the ceremony, reflecting Nairobi’s long-running involvement in efforts to stabilise eastern Congo. As EAC chair, Ruto’s presence signals continuity with previous regional negotiations hosted in Nairobi and Luanda—talks that made progress but never fully halted fighting.

Washington’s intervention has drawn a diverse collection of states: Qatar, which shepherded earlier ministerial discussions; Angola as the African Union chair; Burundi and Uganda, countries with deep entanglement in the crisis; the AU Commission; the UAE; and Togo, serving as the AU’s special envoy.

Former mediators, including Kenya’s retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, have also joined the push.

Behind the diplomatic choreography is a region exhausted by violence. In towns across North Kivu and Ituri, families have lived through cycles of displacement, fragile ceasefires, and renewed offensives.

For many, the hope is simple: that this meeting, thousands of kilometres from home, might finally bring predictability to daily life.

Kindiki Urges Kenyans to Turn Cultural Diversity Into a Force for National Unity

Opinion - Africa Must Stand Tall, No More Bowing to External Powers

The decision to hold the talks in Washington rather than an African capital highlights a difficult reality.

After years of failed regional initiatives, outside pressure has become necessary to pull Kagame and Tshisekedi back to the table. African diplomats privately admit that the continent’s own peace architecture—especially the AU’s delayed “Silencing the Guns” agenda—has struggled to deliver results fast enough for the people most affected.

Still, for pragmatists, what matters is not where the deal is signed, but whether it creates momentum for demobilisation, humanitarian access, and a path toward stable governance in eastern Congo.

The region’s vast mineral wealth has long promised prosperity, yet insecurity has kept communities trapped in poverty.

Today’s accord will be judged not by ceremony, but by what follows once the leaders fly home. If it holds, Washington could mark a rare turning point in a conflict that has shaped the Great Lakes region for a generation.