MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is the heaviest it's been for months. That's even after President Trump declared the conflict over. Emmet Livingstone reports. And a warning - you will hear gunfire in this piece.
EMMET LIVINGSTONE: Only last week, President Trump hailed a historic moment, bringing the leaders of Congo and Rwanda to Washington for a ceremony meant to end years of conflict.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It is an amazing day - great day for Africa, great day for the world and for these two countries. And they have so much to be proud of.
LIVINGSTONE: But the razor-sharp tensions between Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame were clear.
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LIVINGSTONE: As the audience applauded, the two leaders avoided each other's eyes and didn't shake hands.
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LIVINGSTONE: But even while the speeches were being made, violent clashes with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and the Congolese army continued, in a conflict that has its roots in the Rwandan genocide over three decades ago.
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PRESIDENT FELIX TSHISEKEDI: (Speaking French).
LIVINGSTONE: By Monday, back in the capital, Kinshasa, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi was already warning that the peace deal was in jeopardy.
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TSHISEKEDI: (Speaking French).
LIVINGSTONE: In an address to the nation, he said, "despite our good faith, Rwanda is already violating its commitments." Rwanda says it doesn't back the M23, but the U.S., the U.N. and others disagree.
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LIVINGSTONE: Earlier this year, the rebels took Goma and Bukavu, eastern Congo's largest cities. They began to progress south last week, and by Tuesday, the rebels were closing in on Uvira, a key city on the Burundi border. By nightfall, it had fallen. Thousands have been killed in the conflict over the years, and the U.N. reports that more than 200,000 people have fled the area this month alone.
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LIVINGSTONE: Now the rebels are one step closer to Congo's Katanga region, which is rich in copper and cobalt. The Trump administration has signed an economic deal with Congo meant to encourage U.S. companies to invest in that region. But the peace deal between Congo and Rwanda is falling apart, and talks with the M23 rebels have stalled.
For NPR News, I'm Emmet Livingstone in Kinshasa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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