WASHINGTON DEAL OR WASHINGTON DECEPTION? THE WEST’S HAND IN CONGO’S BLOOD

For three decades, the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has bled. Every mountain, every river, and every mine is a graveyard of lives stolen by war. And once again, the world pretends to help — while quietly tightening its grip on Congo’s wealth.

After years of silence, the United States finally stepped in and brokered a peace deal between Rwanda and Congo in June. It was announced as a breakthrough — a promise to end the chaos that has swallowed the Kivus. But there’s one problem: the M23 rebels, the ones actually killing, raping, and occupying our cities, were not even part of it.

How can there be peace without the people causing the war? How can we talk about disengagement when Rwanda’s troops are still inside our territory, disguised as rebels, looting our minerals, and killing our children? This is not diplomacy. It is deception.

The M23, backed and directed by Rwanda, captured Goma in January, then Bukavu in February. Thousands died. Millions fled. Now they control the richest mineral zones in North and South Kivu — gold, cobalt, and coltan — the same resources that power the phones, electric cars, and devices used around the world.

And yet, instead of confronting the real aggressor, the U.S. signs a deal with Rwanda. The same Rwanda accused by the UN, the EU, France, and Congo itself of funding and commanding M23. This deal was not about peace. It was about access.

Hidden inside the fine print of the Washington agreement is an economic clause — a promise to “expand foreign trade and investment in critical mineral supply chains.” In other words: the U.S. gets Congo’s minerals in exchange for “security guarantees.” So while Congolese die, the West secures its supply of the minerals needed for its electric cars and microchips. This is not peace — it is profit wrapped in pity.

They say Rwanda must “disengage” its forces. But who will make them? The same powers that arm and fund Kigali? The same powers that need Rwanda as a middleman to access Congo’s wealth? For decades, Rwanda has denied exploiting our minerals, yet UN reports show that 120 tonnes of coltan leave our soil every four weeks through Rwanda. Who buys it? Western corporations. Who benefits? Not Congo.

And what of MONUSCO — the so-called peacekeepers? They have been here since 1999, eating up billions of dollars while doing nothing. Twenty-six years later, they still “observe” as people are slaughtered. When the M23 took Goma and Bukavu again this year, MONUSCO watched from their bases. When South African and Malawian soldiers were killed, they called for calm. There is no peace to keep in a land already stolen.

Now even the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission has withdrawn. Fourteen South African soldiers were killed in January, and others from Malawi and Tanzania died too. They came to help, but they were betrayed by poor coordination and lack of political will. The mission collapsed before it even began.

The truth is simple: the world wants our minerals, not our peace. The same nations that condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine are silent when Rwanda invades Congo. The same media that mourns European refugees ignores the millions displaced in Kivu. The same companies that advertise “ethical sourcing” use minerals mined under the shadow of M23’s guns.

And our leaders — instead of defending our people — sign away our sovereignty for photo opportunities and foreign aid. President Tshisekedi calls the Washington deal a “victory for peace.” But peace without justice is surrender. You cannot sign peace with those who have their hands on your throat.

The blood in eastern Congo is not an accident — it is a business model. The rebels fight, the politicians negotiate, and the corporations profit. Each “peace deal” is just a pause to rearrange the spoils.

What we need is not another agreement signed abroad. We need a reckoning. Rwanda must be held accountable for its crimes. M23 must be disarmed. The U.S. and its allies must stop buying blood minerals and pretending they are clean. And Congo’s leaders must stop trading sovereignty for security.

The world says the Washington deal is progress. But for us, it is just another mask — covering the same old exploitation, the same old betrayal, and the same old silence that has cost millions of Congolese lives.

Until Rwanda withdraws, until M23 disarms, until Congo controls its own wealth — there will be no peace. Only the sound of our children crying beneath the mines that feed the world.