Central Africa has experienced cycles of violent conflict and political instability fueled by weak governance, economic fragility and competition over natural resources. Despite some periods of relative stability and growth, newer conflicts may rapidly spread due to the region’s inter-connectedness, contributing to displacement across borders. Since 2015, the U.S. Institute of Peace has worked to prevent the spread of conflict, curb atrocities and improve stability amid the rising influence of great powers, protracted insurgencies and threats from extremist groups. USIP’s work in Central Africa includes training mediators to broker peace deals, supporting peaceful transitions to civilian rule, and convening American and regional officials and business leaders to advance security, investment and trade.

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What the DRC-Rwanda Peace Deal Means for the U.S. and Africa’s Mineral-Rich Great Lakes Region

What the DRC-Rwanda Peace Deal Means for the U.S. and Africa’s Mineral-Rich Great Lakes Region

Thursday, July 3, 2025

Last Friday, the foreign ministers of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) met in Washington to sign an agreement to end 30 years of conflict in Africa’s Great Lakes region. The peace deal was accompanied by commitments to build a “regional economic integration framework” and promises of U.S. investment in eastern DRC’s abundant critical mineral reserves, among other commercial agreements.

Type: Question and Answer

Joseph Sany on the Rwanda-DRC Conflict and the Risk of Regional War

Joseph Sany on the Rwanda-DRC Conflict and the Risk of Regional War

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

After decades of poor governance, ethnic tensions and illegal resource exploitation in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwandan-backed rebels’ capture of Goma “has the potential to bring … seven countries into [the] conflict” and ignite a wider regional war, says USIP’s Joseph Sany.

Type: Podcast

A DRC-Rwanda Truce is Key for African and U.S. Interests — Here’s How to Get There

A DRC-Rwanda Truce is Key for African and U.S. Interests — Here’s How to Get There

Thursday, February 6, 2025

On January 27, Rwandan-backed rebels known as  M23 captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the presence of U.N. peacekeeping force, defense forces from other African countries, local militias, and European mercenaries hired to block its advance. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in M23’s advance into Goma, including the provincial military governor. Roughly 500,000 people fled their homes, adding to the more than two million people displaced by the long-standing conflict.

Type: Question and Answer

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