Trump claims to have ended the war in Congo. People there say that’s not
true
[August 27, 2025]
By CHINEDU ASADU and JUSTIN KABUMBA
GOMA, Congo (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump claims that the war in
eastern Congo is among the ones he has stopped, after brokering a peace
deal between Congo and Rwanda in June. But residents, conflict
researchers and others say that's not true.
Trump on Monday repeated claims that he ended the decadeslong conflict,
describing Congo as the “darkest, deepest” part of Africa. “For 35
years, it was a vicious war. Nine million people were killed with
machetes. I stopped it. ... I got it stopped and saved lots of lives,”
he asserted.
The Associated Press previously fact-checked Trump’s claim and found the
war far from over. Now residents report clashes in several hot spots,
often between the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who seized key cities earlier
this year and militia fighting alongside Congolese forces.
A final peace deal between Congo and the rebels, facilitated by Qatar,
appears to have stalled. Each side has accused the other of violating
peace terms.
Here's what people say about Trump’s latest claim:
An inspector says people are still being displaced
The local human rights inspector in South Kivu province's Kabare
territory, Ciruza Mushenzi Dieudonné, said residents in the communities
of Bugobe, Cirunga, Kagami and Bushwira continue to flee clashes between
the M23 rebels and the Wazalendo militia.
“The problem now is that we do not have humanitarian assistance,
hospitals operate during the day and health professionals find refuge
elsewhere at night to escape the insecurity,” Dieudonné said.
Amnesty International says clashes reported this week
Christian Rumu with Amnesty International said the rights group learned
of clashes during the past 24 hours in various locations. "It is far
from the reality to say that he has ended the war,” he said of Trump.
“The U.S. president is misguided in his assessment because people on the
ground continue to experience grave human rights violations, and some of
these amount to crimes against humanity,” Rumu said, urging Trump to
speed up the peace process.
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A student says fighting has continued
Amani Safari, a student in Goma, the city first seized by the M23
and most affected by the fighting, said nothing has changed since
the peace deal was signed in June.
“Unfortunately, when you look at this agreement, there are no
binding sanctions against the two countries that violate it,” Safari
said. “The United States only sees American interests.”
An activist in Goma says Trump needs to do more
Espoir Muhinuka, a activist in Goma, said there is no sign the war
will end soon and urged Trump to take steps to achieve the permanent
ceasefire the peace deal provided for.
"If this does not happen, it would deceive all of humanity,”
Muhinuka said.
Civil society leader says residents are losing hope of peace
The president of civil society in North Kivu province, John Banyene,
said he and other residents are losing hope of permanent peace.
“The killings, the displacement of the population and the clashes
continue, therefore, we are still in disarray," Banyene said. “We,
as civil society, encourage this dialogue, but it drags on.”
Analyst says peace efforts appear to have stalled
Christian Moleka, a Congo-based political analyst, said the peace
deal brokered by Trump initially helped to facilitate the peace
process, but Congo and the M23 missed a deadline to sign a final
peace agreement.
“For a conflict that combines the complexities of the structural
weaknesses of the Congolese state, local identity and land
conflicts, and the fallout of crises in neighboring countries …
Trump’s approach may appear as a truce rather than a definitive
settlement,” Moleka said.
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Asadu reported from Dakar, Senegal. Janvier Barhahiga in Bukavu,
Congo contributed.
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