Washington, D.C. — Angolan President João Lourenço praised the Washington Accord as a long-awaited end to a conflict that “has scarred Africa’s most strategic region for more than three decades,” calling the peace agreement a crucial breakthrough for global food security, energy stability, and mineral access.
Lourenço, speaking as acting chair of the African Union, delivered a sober assessment of the conflict’s toll and a hopeful vision of what peace could unlock.
“More than three decades — this conflict has lasted far too long.”
He began by situating the war’s length and cost: “This is a conflict that has been there between two neighboring countries for many years, with consequences on the peoples, their economies, and the entire Great Lakes region.”
He emphasized that though often described as a “30-year war,” the violence stretches even further back.
Lourenço described the region as one of the richest on earth: abundant water, arable land, vast forests, critical mineral reserves and hydroelectric potential.
“It is a region rich in water resources, arable lands, forests, and mineral resources important to the whole world,” he said, in Portugese through a translator.
He emphasized that the conflict had prevented the region from contributing to: the global fight against food insecurity, energy shortages, continental economic integration and climate resilience.
Grand Inga: Africa’s dormant gift to the world
Lourenço highlighted Congo’s Grand Inga Dam — the largest hydroelectric potential on earth, saying: “The Great Inga hydro project in Congo is important. It can help to electrify the continent and develop agriculture.”
He argued that peace is essential for unlocking such transformative projects.
In one of his strongest lines, Lourenço stated plainly: “Nothing would justify this war. Nothing.”
This echoed his long-held position that the conflict persisted artificially and could have been solved years earlier had the political will existed.
Acknowledging Africa’s attempts — and their limits
Lourenço described Africa’s own efforts to resolve the conflict through the Luanda and Nairobi processes: “We sought as Africans to do our part… Angola, Kenya, and other countries worked, but unfortunately we could not make it.”
This frank admission set up his main point: “We now want to thank President Donald Trump for having helped to reach this important milestone.”
A message to Rwanda and Congo: Implement faithfully
Lourenço closed with a clear appeal: “We appeal to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda to implement successfully this agreement for the benefit of their countries, their people, and the continent of Africa.”
He ended by saying the accord not only benefits Africa but “the whole world.”
