A s far as Donald Trump was concerned, it was a day of peacemaking in Washington, DC. On December 4th he hosted the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to celebrate deals involving their countries and America.

A long-awaited U.S.-brokered peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda will be signed in Washington on Thursday — but the reality on the ground tells a different story.

More than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group escalated its offensive in eastern Congo, officials said.

U.S. President Donald Trump gathered the leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda to sign a peace deal in Washington on Thursday even as fighting continued in their war-scarred region.

A climate of fear has gripped Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo, after it fell to the Rwanda-backed M23 group.

The peace signing will also open up access to eastern Congo’s critical minerals for the U.S. government and American companies.