Ruto Set To Travel To Washington For DRC-Rwanda Peace Deal Signing

Ruto, Tshisekedi and Kagame Set for High-Stakes Washington Meeting as US Pushes Regional Integration and DRC–Rwanda Peace Deal

President William Ruto is expected to travel to Washington next week for a major diplomatic gathering that will bring together the leaders of Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for the signing of a US-engineered regional integration and peace agreement.

The trip is shaping up to be one of the most consequential foreign policy moments for East and Central Africa this year, drawing in three presidents whose relationships have grown increasingly complicated.

According to senior diplomatic sources, President Félix Tshisekedi, President Paul Kagame and President Ruto have all received official invitations from the Trump administration.

The United States has been quietly coordinating the event for months and now wants the three leaders to publicly ratify what it sees as a breakthrough arrangement for both peace and economic cooperation.

The real surprise, insiders say, is the inclusion of President Ruto in the final signing ceremony. Washington has come to view him as its most reliable partner in the region, which has created unease in Kinshasa.

Relations between Ruto and Tshisekedi have been noticeably strained over security operations, troop deployments and the East African Community’s role in eastern Congo.

Tshisekedi, speaking from Belgrade, confirmed he will attend the signing but made it clear he will not entertain any compromises that threaten Congo’s sovereignty.

He warned that Kinshasa will not accept any arrangements that pave the way for the integration of M23 fighters into the national army, a strategy that has failed repeatedly in previous peace deals.

“I will go to Washington to ratify the agreement signed with Rwanda under the auspices of the United States and which has already been made public in full transparency,” Tshisekedi said.

“But don’t let yourselves be fooled. There will be neither mixing nor integration.”

He went further, reminding the region that he has always supported economic and political integration but believes Congo was betrayed during the 2022 escalation that saw M23 rebels sweep across major towns in North Kivu.

“Regarding the regional integration agreement, know that there is nothing new. Regional integration is everything I have desired since I came to power, but they stabbed us in the back in 2022,” he said.

The Washington summit will build on a peace framework negotiated in June and reinforced by a series of closed-door meetings held in Nairobi, Brussels and Doha.

The United States has invested heavily in the process and views it as a final opportunity to stabilise eastern Congo after a year that saw M23 seize Goma and Bukavu, sparking one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region in recent memory.

Kagame, for his part, has welcomed the talks but has repeatedly said that the success of any agreement will depend on genuine goodwill from both sides.

He warned last week that peace cannot be imposed simply because Washington is hosting the event.

“Some of these processes will not work not just because we are meeting in Washington or the powerful United States is involved, but until those people concerned directly are committed to achieving results,” he said.

The United Nations reported in July that Rwanda exercises command influence over M23, a claim Kigali denies.

Kinshasa’s insistence on Rwanda withdrawing its forces and cutting all links to the rebels remains the linchpin of the upcoming agreement.

Kenya, meanwhile, has emerged as a central guarantor in the deal.

Ruto’s presence signals a renewed push by Nairobi to regain its diplomatic influence after disagreements over the East African Community Regional Force and conflicting approaches to stabilising eastern Congo.

For Washington, the December 4 signing will be a diplomatic showcase, bringing together three leaders who rarely occupy the same room.

Whether the event marks the start of a new chapter or simply another photo-op in the long history of failed peace deals will depend on what the three presidents are willing to commit to once they land back in their respective capitals.

For now, all eyes turn to Washington, where the next steps in the DRC–Rwanda peace process will be written and where President Ruto, President Kagame and President Tshisekedi will test whether their uneasy partnership can finally deliver peace.