Monday, July 21

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the M23 rebels have finally signed a peace deal, hoping to end the conflict within another month.

The deal aims towards bringing peace to the eastern part of DRC, which has seen serious violence over the last seven months. The M23 rebels, a militia primarily made up of members of the Tutsi ethnic group, invaded the area north of the city of Goma in January, killing scores of citizens.

After storming Goma and the nearby city of Bukavu, they quickly took over two airports and shut down their airspace, trapping millions of people inside the two cities. Additionally, the rebels did not provide food, water, or shelter, but consistent bombings and shootings resulted in more and more deaths, pressuring the DRC government to take action.

Qatar began hosting ceasefire talks in March, and the United States has also attempted to assist in negotiations. US President Donald Trump has clearly expressed his interest in obtaining a part of the wide range of rich mineral resources located in central Africa, motivating him to keep good relations with countries like the DRC.

Now, after months of negotiations, both sides have confirmed that they will stop all fighting by July 29, with a long-term agreement expected by August 18. However, the details of the deal are still relatively unclear.

DRC representatives claimed that they would see M23 move out of the areas that they have recently invaded, but M23 has denied those claims. Additionally, authorities, citizens, and foreign organizations are still unsure as to whether the agreement will last-- various other peace deals have been made in the past, and all of them have been violated at some point.

More recently, in April, the two sides agreed to facilitate a complete ceasefire, but the conflict continued despite orders from the top. As a whole, the current deal is extremely vague, with most of the finer details expected to be finalized over the next month.

Upcoming Events:

• World Drowning Prevention Day (Friday, July 25)

• International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent (Friday, July 25)

• International Day for Judicial Well-Being (Friday, July 25)

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Elvis was originally blonde. He started coloring his hair black for an edgier look. Sometimes, he would touch it up himself using shoe polish.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Trees are poems the earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. (Kahlil Gibran)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Utmost (adj, UT-mohst) - Utmost describes something that is the greatest or highest in degree, number, or amount.

In a Sentence: The safety of employees is of utmost importance.