Congo, Rwanda will not sign economic deal this week in setback for peace process


A view shows buildings behind a street of the Gombe area, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo December 30, 2023. REUTERS/Justin Makangara

WASHINGTON/DAKAR/PARIS (Reuters) -Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda will not sign an economic framework this week as expected, four sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, in another stumbling block for the Trump administration's efforts to implement a peace deal and spur Western investment in the region.

President Donald Trump is pursuing an ambitious bid to broker peace and draw billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium and other minerals after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized two major cities in eastern Congo in January and February, posing the biggest threat to the government in Kinshasa in two decades.

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