Congo Peace Agreements Mask Continuing Violence

Multiple peace deals fail to stop killings in mineral-rich eastern regions.

Despite the June 27 Washington peace agreement between DRC and Rwanda and the July 19 Doha declaration between DRC and M23 rebels, violence has persisted in eastern Congo. Human Rights Watch documented M23 rebels killing 141 villagers in July, targeting mostly ethnic Hutu communities between July 10-30.

Image: Rwanda Defense Force soldiers

M23’s January capture of Goma killed between 900-2,000 people, while the group still controls strategic territory including mineral-rich areas and cross-border trade routes. Despite diplomatic progress, UN Assistant Secretary General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee noted in August that “the evolution of the security situation on the ground has not matched the progress achieved on the diplomatic front.”

The crisis reflects deeper structural problems. Land disputes, mineral interests, and foreign intervention drive violence in a region where the DRC is the world’s leading producer of cobalt and tantalum, essential for batteries and electronics. Rwanda maintains 3,000-4,000 troops supporting M23, while multiple armed groups compete for territory and resources.

As the Council on Foreign Relations notes, “scores of armed groups operate in the region, and the notion that command and control leads back to Kinshasa or Kigali is fanciful.” Land remains the axis of identity, wealth, and survival—making peace agreements fragile without addressing material realities on the ground.

Our Take: Congo’s multiple peace agreements mask the reality that documents cannot resolve conflicts rooted in land, resources, and survival. Without addressing material realities on the ground, diplomatic theater will continue while civilians pay the price.