DRC, Rwanda sign peace deal, open critical mineral resources to U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted his counterparts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda on Thursday, witnessing them signing a peace deal aimed to end a decades-long conflict in eastern DRC while opening their critical mineral resources to the United States.

Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC and Paul Kagame of Rwanda signed the deal at a ceremony held at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which was renamed "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace" by the State Department one day earlier. At the ceremony, Trump also announced U.S. bilateral agreements with the two African countries, under which U.S. companies will gain access to the region's critical minerals.