Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have signed an agreement to respect each other's sovereignty and come up with a draft peace deal by 2 May. The deal was signed by the two countries' foreign ministers in Washington, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also present at Friday's ceremony.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congo and Rwanda vowed to come up with a draft peace deal by May 2 and refrain from providing military support to armed groups, according to an agreement signed in Washington on Friday as part of diplomatic efforts to end violence in eastern Congo.

The deal raises hopes that the latest cycle of violence in a decades-long conflict rooted in the Rwandan genocide might ease, with both countries hoping to attract significant U.S. investments in minerals.