Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, told AFP that there was no agreement yet on the content of the text, but that the next steps would consist of "consolidating the contributions of the parties into a single text."
Nduhungirehe also said that after the agreement on the text, “the finalization of the draft peace agreement by the foreign ministers will follow in a meeting that will take place in Washington during the third week of May.”
The process should culminate with “the signing of the agreement in mid-June at the White House,” added Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
This announcement comes a day after Nduhungirehe declared that his country and the DR Congo had delivered to the United States Government (US) two drafts of a peace agreement, information that was also confirmed by the US special envoy for Africa, Massad Boulos.
Boulos said on Monday on the social network X that he had received "a draft text on a peace proposal" from the DR Congo and Rwanda.
"This is an important step towards fulfilling the commitments made in the Declaration of Principles," said Massad Boulos, who is the father-in-law of Tiffany Trump, daughter of US President Donald Trump.
Last month, Massad Boulos visited both countries and called on Rwanda to end its support for the anti-government March 23 Movement (M23) and withdraw its troops.
Rwanda has denied any military support for M23, but says its security has long been threatened by armed groups in eastern DR Congo, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, created by former Hutu leaders linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Several ceasefires have been agreed and violated since M23 resumed operations in eastern DR Congo in 2021, and clashes with government and allied forces have displaced hundreds of thousands of people and sparked a widespread humanitarian crisis.
M23 fighters, who UN and US experts say benefit from Rwandan military support, have made rapid advances in eastern DR Congo since January, seizing strategic cities and vast territories in clashes that have left thousands dead.
The first face-to-face talks between the two sides since the M23 offensive intensified took place between DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Qatar on March 18.
This meeting took place on the same day that a direct peace dialogue between the parties was scheduled to begin in Angola, which also acted as mediator, but which did not take place after the M23 cancelled its participation following the imposition of sanctions against some of its leaders by the European Union.
Last month, DR Congo and Rwanda agreed in talks in the United States to reach a draft peace deal by May 2, raising hopes of an end to the crisis triggered by the M23's lightning offensive.
