Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwanda's Paul Kagame on Thursday reaffirmed commitments to a US-brokered deal reached in June to stabilise the vast country and open the way for more Western mining investment.
"We're settling a war that's been going on for decades," said Trump, whose administration has intervened in a string of conflicts around the world to burnish his credentials as a peacemaker and advance US business interests.
On the ground however, fierce fighting continued on Friday with the warring sides blaming one another.
The Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebel group, which seized the two largest cities in eastern Congo earlier this year and is not bound by the Washington agreement, said forces loyal to the government were conducting widespread attacks.
The group said in a statement that 23 people were killed and several others wounded in bombardments that targeted towns in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
A Congolese army spokesperson said the military was not targeting civilians but clashes were ongoing and Rwandan forces were bombing.
Analysts say US diplomacy paused an escalation of fighting in eastern Congo but failed to resolve core issues, with neither Congo nor Rwanda fulfilling pledges made in the June agreement.
Videos shared online showed dozens of displaced families fleeing on foot with their belongings and livestock near the town of Luvungi in South Kivu province in eastern Congo. Reuters was not immediately able to authenticate them.
A Congo army spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that clashes were taking place along the Kaziba, Katogota and Rurambo axis in South Kivu province.
Reagan Mbuyi Kalonji, army spokesperson for South Kivu, told Reuters the Congolese army had only targeted fighters in the hills above Kaziba and Rurambo.
Rwanda's army and government spokespeople were not immediately available for comment.
A senior AFC/M23 official told Reuters rebel forces had retaken the town of Luberika and shot down a Congolese army drone. He requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to media.
"The war continues on the ground and has no connection with the signing of the agreement that took place yesterday in Washington," he said.
UNICEF on Friday said it was alarmed by clashes on December 3 and 4 in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, that hit three schools and another site near a school, reportedly killing at least seven children and injuring others.
"In 2025, fighting has intensified to levels not seen in years and children, as always, are bearing the brunt," according to the statement.
