Congo Wants Deal With Rwanda-Backed Rebels Before Trump Meeting

The Democratic Republic of Congo wants a peace agreement with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels before a planned summit next month between the leaders of the two nations and US President Donald Trump.

The countries signed a deal Friday in Washington where they pledged to support ongoing negotiations in Qatar between Congo and the M23, which occupies a large swath of mineral-rich eastern Congo including its two largest cities. While the rebels wouldn’t necessarily need to withdraw before the presidential meeting, Congo wants “an agreement” in place that they will, Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner told Bloomberg in an interview on Saturday.