WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the SFRC Subcommittee on Africa & Global Health Policy, and Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations (SFRC) Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, & Global Women’s Issues, led their colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for stronger U.S. diplomacy to address the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. While President Donald Trump has touted the peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, which was signed on June 27, 2025 in the Oval Office, violence between the M23 rebel group and Congolese Army has continued, and humanitarian conditions have deteriorated.
“On June 27, 2025, you participated in the signing of the ‘Washington Accord’ by senior officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda at the State Department, followed by a meeting with President Trump in which he called the moment ‘a glorious triumph for the cause of peace’ in the Oval Office,” wrote the Senators. “Although the Trump Administration deserves credit for attempting to engage constructively on this crisis, we are concerned by severe flaws in the structure of the peace process.”
“Following the June ceremony at the White House, fighting in eastern DRC resumed almost immediately. Although the lines of the conflict have remained more stable since June, the M23 has continued to seize territory, displacing civilians and entrenching control over swathes of North and South Kivu, while the Congolese army has backed abusive ‘Wazalendo’ proxy militias. As of mid-2025, M23 has reportedly recruited over 7,000 fighters and claim to have recruited many more since,” the Senators continued.
“These assessments highlight the continued challenge of implementing the Accord, the need for renewed and focused diplomatic attention, and the dissonance between the Administration’s declarations of triumph and the facts on the ground,” wrote the Senators.
The Senators concluded, “U.S.-facilitated efforts to resolve conflicts across the globe require serious, level-headed leadership and thoughtful, consistent diplomacy to foster concrete and lasting commitments. We encourage the Administration to take stock of lessons learned from the Washington Accord process so far and focus upcoming efforts on fostering a sustainable peace between the warring parties that advances both U.S. interests and long-term regional stability.”
In addition to Booker and Kaine, the letter is cosigned by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).