ANKARA, Türkiye – Türkiye on Friday warmly welcomed the signing of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, describing the agreement as an important step toward ending one of Africa’s longest-running and deadliest conflicts.
In an official statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ankara commended the diplomatic efforts of all parties involved, with particular praise for the mediation roles played by the United States and Qatar. “We welcome the signing of the ‘Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity’ between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda,” the ministry said, adding that it hopes the agreement will contribute to a lasting resolution of the conflict in eastern Congo and to the overall stability of the Great Lakes Region.
The statement concluded with a firm pledge: “Türkiye will continue to support efforts aimed at promoting peace, security and stability in Africa.”
The accords were formally signed on Thursday, December 4, 2025, during a high-profile ceremony at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Donald Trump personally hosted the event, which saw DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame place their signatures on the document in the presence of regional leaders including Kenyan President William Ruto and Angolan President João Lourenço.
The agreement builds on a preliminary framework reached by the two countries’ foreign ministers in June 2025 and includes a comprehensive Regional Economic Integration Framework that commits both nations to neutralize armed groups, withdraw foreign forces, restore state authority in rebel-held areas, and launch joint economic projects in mining, energy, and infrastructure. A key incentive is a U.S. commitment to purchase critical minerals directly from both countries, potentially channeling billions of dollars into the region while linking future investment to verifiable compliance with the peace terms.
President Kagame described the U.S.-led process as pragmatic and even-handed, reiterating Rwanda’s readiness to dismantle Hutu extremist militias such as the FDLR that continue to threaten his country’s security. President Tshisekedi called the accords an “irreversible turning point,” pledging to prioritize civilian protection and the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
Türkiye’s swift and positive reaction places it among a growing list of international actors endorsing the deal. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the signing a “critical milestone” and urged rapid implementation. France, the European Union, Canada, Germany, and the International Contact Group on the Great Lakes Region all issued statements welcoming the accords and stressing the urgent need for tangible progress on the ground.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, the security situation in eastern DRC remains extremely volatile. The M23 rebel movement – widely accused by UN experts of receiving direct Rwandan military support – has captured major cities including Goma and Bukavu since early 2025 and continues to clash with Congolese forces and allied militias. Just hours before the Washington ceremony, heavy fighting was reported around the strategic border town of Kamanyola, and fresh clashes erupted again on Friday morning near Luvungi in South Kivu, forcing hundreds more civilians to flee into Rwanda.
The humanitarian toll is staggering. As of October 2025, the United Nations recorded 6.3 million internally displaced people across the DRC – the second-highest figure in the world after Sudan – with 2.47 million newly displaced in the first eight months of the year alone. Acute food insecurity affects 27 million Congolese, including 4.5 million acutely malnourished children. Overcrowded camps around Goma now shelter nearly 600,000 people living amid recurring outbreaks of cholera, mpox, and measles.
The conflict, rooted in its various forms, has claimed thousands of lives since M23 relaunched its offensive in late 2022, while generating hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit mineral revenues for armed actors. Human Rights Watch and UN investigators have documented widespread war crimes by multiple parties, including summary executions, sexual violence, and forced recruitment of children.
Analysts caution that the Washington Accords, like previous peace agreements in 2002 and 2013, face significant hurdles. M23 was not a direct signatory and has repeatedly stated it will only disarm in exchange for amnesty and political integration. Separate talks between Kinshasa and the rebels mediated by Qatar remain stalled.
Nevertheless, the accords establish a joint security mechanism to monitor troop withdrawals and armed-group neutralization, while economic incentives – including U.S.-backed rail and hydropower projects – are designed to make continued conflict less attractive than cooperation.
For Türkiye, the endorsement reinforces its expanding role as a mediator and partner in African peace processes, following years of growing diplomatic, military, and humanitarian engagement across the continent. As one displaced Congolese mother sheltering near the Rwandan border told reporters on Friday, “We have seen many agreements signed far away. This time we pray the shooting really stops.”
With the eyes of the international community now fixed on implementation, the coming weeks and months will determine whether the Washington Accords mark the beginning of genuine peace – or simply another hopeful but ultimately unfulfilled chapter in the long tragedy of eastern Congo.
