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It's not going to happen! DRC's Tshisekedi rejects all 'integration' with Rwanda ahead of Washington peace signing

It's not going to happen! DRC's Tshisekedi rejects all 'integration' with Rwanda ahead of Washington peace signing

"Democratic Republic of the Congo President Felix Tshisekedi rejected any prospect of 'mixing or integration' with Rwanda, reaffirming his uncompromising stance ahead of a planned trip to Washington to finalise a landmark US-brokered peace deal between the two countries. “Any idea of mixing or integration is excluded. It will no longer exist in these agreements,” Tshisekedi told members of the Congolese diaspora during an event in Belgrade on Monday. He described the violence in eastern DRC as 'horrors' that have cost millions of lives, accusing the international community of long overlooking what he labelled a 'Congolese genocide'. “Because of course, that belligerent neighbour, working with the support of certain powers, was exploiting our resources and serving the high-tech industries of those countries,” he alleged. Tshisekedi also revealed the expected timeline for the upcoming deal. “We are getting closer to the end [...] You must be aware that on the 4th of next month, we have a meeting in Washington to sign this peace agreement with President Donald Trump,” he said. The remarks come after the DRC government and the M23 rebel group signed a peace framework agreement in Doha, aimed at ending years of conflict in North and South Kivu. The accord builds on the Declaration of Principles adopted earlier this year. Integration was a key component of the recent US-brokered peace agreement, which includes a provision for the disengagement, disarmament, and conditional integration of non-state armed groups' combatants into the Congolese security forces on a case-by-case basis. The accords also committed both nations to establishing a Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF) to strengthen economic cooperation, particularly in the critical minerals trade. Years of fighting between government forces and the M23 movement have displaced millions and destabilised large parts of eastern DRC. Kinshasa accuses the insurgents of receiving support from Rwanda, allegations Kigali firmly denies."