DRC-Rwanda accord: ‘Another episode of Trump comedy show disconnected from reality on the ground’

US President Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for a deal-signing aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo and opening access to the region’s critical minerals for the US government and American companies. The moment provides Trump, who has repeatedly and with a measure of exaggeration boasted of brokering peace in some of the world’s most entrenched conflicts, another chance to tout himself as a dealmaker extraordinaire on the global stage and make the case that he’s deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, François Picard welcomes Thierry Vircoulon, Associate Researcher in the Africa Centre at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI). Mr. Vircoulon warns the pomp and circumstance in Washington is strikingly detached from reality, namely the political-military landscape in Kivu, where fighting continues and local actors reject the relevance of the so-called peace deal.Original Article