{"id":126029,"date":"2025-12-05T08:03:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T08:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/theyll-spend-a-lot-of-time-hugging-each-other-trump-on-kagame-tshisekedi-relations\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T08:03:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T08:03:21","slug":"theyll-spend-a-lot-of-time-hugging-each-other-trump-on-kagame-tshisekedi-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/theyll-spend-a-lot-of-time-hugging-each-other-trump-on-kagame-tshisekedi-relations\/","title":{"rendered":"They\u2019ll spend a lot of time hugging each other: Trump on Kagame-Tshisekedi relations"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 \u2014 US President Donald Trump on Thursday presided over the signing of a landmark peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, declaring that the once-bitter rivals were turning the page on decades of bloodshed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In characteristic style, Trump remarked that Presidents Paul Kagame and F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi \u201cspent a lot of time killing each other, and now they\u2019re going to spend a lot of time hugging.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ceremony, held at the US Institute of Peace, marked the formal adoption of the Washington Accords, a sweeping framework aimed at ending more than 30 years of conflict in eastern DRC. <\/p>\n

The agreement provides for a permanent ceasefire, disarmament of non-state armed groups, the safe return of refugees, and a new system of justice and accountability.<\/p>\n

It also establishes a regional economic integration plan to unlock shared prosperity in the Great Lakes region.<\/p>\n

Trump hailed the day as a \u201chistoric moment for Africa and for the world,\u201d praising Kagame and Tshisekedi as \u201ccourageous leaders\u201d who had made \u201cbeautiful commitments\u201d to peace. <\/p>\n

He emphasized that previous mediation efforts had failed and credited his administration\u2019s tougher, more pragmatic approach with success.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve spent a lot of time killing each other, and now they\u2019re going to be hugging, holding hands, and taking advantage of the United States economically \u2014 like everybody else does,\u201d Trump joked, drawing laughter from the audience.<\/p>\n

African and Arab leaders <\/h2>\n

The event drew a large delegation of African heads of state and senior officials, including leaders from Angola, Burundi, Kenya, Togo, and Uganda, as well as representatives from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the African Union Commission.<\/p>\n

Angolan President Jo\u00e3o Louren\u00e7o, acting as African Union chair, called the Washington Accords \u201ca turning point\u201d capable of stabilizing one of Africa\u2019s most volatile regions.<\/p>\n

Kenyan President William Ruto praised the U.S. for leveraging its diplomatic influence to unblock long-stalled regional peace efforts. <\/p>\n

\u201cA peaceful and integrated eastern DRC can unlock one of Africa\u2019s greatest economic opportunities,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is not just an African achievement \u2014 it is a global achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rwandan President Paul Kagame credited Trump for stepping into a conflict long ignored by the world but cautioned that the success of the agreement depends on African leaders. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf this agreement falters, the responsibility will not lie with President Trump but with ourselves,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n

\u2018Solemn commitment\u2019 <\/h2>\n

DRC President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi described the signing as a \u201csolemn commitment\u201d to end cycles of war, forced displacement, and mistrust, emphasizing that the accords create a comprehensive framework combining peace, accountability, and economic integration.<\/p>\n

Trump highlighted the scale of the eastern DRC conflict, claiming more than 10 million deaths over the decades. <\/p>\n

He announced new bilateral deals with Rwanda and the DRC to expand US access to critical minerals, with major American companies expected to begin operations in both countries. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody\u2019s going to make a lot of money,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of the ceremony, President Ruto appealed for U.S. support to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. <\/p>\n

The event blended high-stakes diplomacy with theatrical flair, with Trump praising the new Institute of Peace building and highlighting the symbolic image of Kagame and Tshisekedi shaking hands, smiling, and pledging to move forward together.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is a great day for Africa,\u201d Trump said. \u201cA great day for the world.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 \u2014 US President Donald Trump on Thursday presided over the signing of a landmark peace agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, declaring that the once-bitter rivals were turning the page on decades of bloodshed. In characteristic style, Trump remarked that Presidents Paul Kagame and F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126029\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}