Trump senior Africa adviser 'discussed peace plan' with Rwanda, DRC leaders

President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa said on Thursday he spoke with the presidents of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) about a draft peace deal this week, as Washington seeks to end a decades-long conflict in the region.

The US is awaiting final feedback due this weekend from Rwanda and DRC on the draft agreement, Massad Boulos told Reuters in an interview in Washington DC.

He added that there may still be amendments and adjustments, but he hopes it can be concluded in coming weeks.

The Trump administration, which has sought to strike peace accords in multiple regions and prioritised US access to critical minerals, has been seeking to end the conflict in a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium.

Boulos said he spoke with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi to touch base, adding that they were pleased with the progress that had been made.

"It was very positive from both of them," Boulos said. "They're both looking forward to working with us and with the Qataris and with the African Union towards achieving a final solution that will give lasting peace."

DRC and Rwanda earlier this month submitted a proposal as part of a process meant to end the fighting in eastern DRC and attract billions of dollars of Western investment. Boulos said they worked on the drafts and came up with the current one.

"We are awaiting the final feedback from both parties," Boulos said on Thursday. "As soon as we finalise this last round, as indicated before, secretary [of state Marco] Rubio is ready and prepared to host them here. So we hope this can be concluded as quickly as possible in the coming few weeks."

Boulos said that there was no specific timeline for the foreign ministers to visit Washington. Earlier this month he told Reuters that Rubio would meet in Washington in mid-May with the Rwandan and DRC foreign ministers in an effort to agree on a final draft peace accord.

The diplomacy comes amid an unprecedented advance by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern DRC that has killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more. The rebels seized Goma, eastern DRC's largest city, in late January and Bukavu, the area's second-largest, weeks later.

The UN and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23. Rwanda denies backing the group and says its military has acted in self-defense against DRC's army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.

Tshisekedi's government is engaged in separate talks with M23 facilitated by Qatar. Last month DRC and the rebels agreed to work towards peace, but sources in the two delegations have expressed frustration with the pace of negotiations.

Reuters