WASHINGTON D.C. — Congolese and Rwandan officials met in Washington D.C. on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss steps to de-escalate tensions in eastern Congo. The officials agreed on coordinated steps to de-escalate tensions in eastern Congo, where government troops are fighting rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda.

The sides agreed to support each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity through specific but unnamed measures. They agreed to the scheduled disengagement of forces and the lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda in defined Congolese territory.

The talks agreed that Congo will make intensified efforts to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is an armed group formed by mostly Hutus who fled to Congo after the 1994 genocide.

The agreed steps revolve around an agreement facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump between the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in the previous year. U.S. President Donald Trump has served as a peace facilitator by seeking commitments from both countries to a permanent ceasefire and facilitating American companies' access to Congo's minerals.

U.N. experts have reported evidence that Rwandan troops are involved alongside the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, although neither Rwanda nor the M23 have publicly acknowledged their presence. Rwanda frames its role in eastern Congo as defensive measures to protect its territory from Hutu rebels responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Eastern Congo is mineral-rich and has experienced decades of unrest as government forces fight more than 100 armed groups. The most potent armed group in eastern Congo is the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda.

The M23 advanced into eastern Congo early last year, seizing key cities as it expanded its presence. U.S.-led peace efforts, involving partners including Qatar, have stalled and violence has continued in eastern Congo.