The U.S. as Peacemaker in Central Africa?

Experts discuss the prospect of a U.S.-mediated end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The Trump administration, with Special Adviser Massad Boulos and Secretary of State Marco Rubio playing key roles, has actively worked to mediate an end to the war between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. A tentative peace deal is expected to be signed in Washington in mid-June.  The conflict has ravaged the DRC’s east for years, pitting M23, with its recent territorial gains, against the Congolese military.

How might this conflict evolve in the coming months? What is driving the United States to mediate this conflict, and what role are regional actors playing? What opportunities exist for the United States and private sector actors if the conflict ends?
June 2025

4
11:00 AM ET
Sign up today!
REGISTER
Join us for a timely and important discussion with:

Joshua Walker
​
Joshua Z. Walker is the director of Programs of the Congo Research Group at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC). He has been working in and researching the DRC since 2004. Before joining CIC, he was a research associate at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Beverly Ochieng

Beverly Ochieng is a senior analyst in Control Risks’ Global Risk Analysis service. Based in Dakar, she is responsible for the coverage and analysis of Francophone Africa within the Sub-Saharan Africa team. She supports the monitoring and reporting for political, economic and security trends in at least 15 Francophone African nations.

Dan Ford

Dan M. Ford is a junior research fellow in the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Previously, Dan worked as a Research and Communications Assistant at the Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF), an organization focused on supporting the safety and security of humanitarian and development professionals across the world.

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos (Moderator)

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos is a senior advisor for the Quincy Institute and editorial director at Responsible Statecraft. Previously she served as Executive Editor at The American Conservative magazine, where she has been a contributing editor since 2007. She also spent 15 years as an online political reporter in the Washington bureau of Fox News.
DONATE

© Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW, #7000, Washington D.C., 20006

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.