President Donald Trump’s Senior Advisor on Arab, Middle Eastern, and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, has voiced confidence that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda are on the path to securing a lasting peace.

In a statement released on Saturday, August 9, 2025, Boulos welcomed the inaugural meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism, held from August 7 to 8. The platform is tasked with executing the Concept of Operations for the Harmonized Plan aimed at neutralizing the FDLR militia and overseeing the disengagement of armed forces.

Boulos stated that the mechanism’s structure would facilitate critical intelligence-sharing between Kinshasa and Kigali, enabling both nations to expose and dismantle rebel networks destabilizing the region.

“This week’s inaugural meeting advanced key security commitments in the Peace Agreement between the DRC and Rwanda,” Boulos noted. “By sharing information, coordinating security operations, and confronting armed group threats, the Mechanism transforms the Peace Agreement from words on paper into genuine stability for the region.”

The development coincided with a major diplomatic initiative in Nairobi, where President William Ruto, in his capacity as East African Community (EAC) Chairperson, co-hosted a high-level summit alongside Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who heads the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The gathering brought together EAC, SADC, and African Union (AU) leaders in a bid to align their peace strategies for the war-torn eastern DRC. The summit approved the merger of existing peace structures into a single joint mechanism, with the AU taking the lead in ensuring all regional and international interventions are coordinated under an African-led framework.

The unified approach is expected to streamline mediation efforts, bridge political divides, and deliver a sustainable peace process for one of Africa’s most volatile regions.