The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that Congo and Rwanda plan to sign an agreement in Washington to promote peace and economic development, part of a diplomatic push to end violence after an advance by Rwandan-backed rebels in eastern Congo. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says the agreement 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. However, previous ceasefire calls have not produced a sustained break in the fighting. The two countries' foreign ministers are expected to sign at a ceremony with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Washington is in talks to invest billions of dollars in minerals in Congo, which has vast deposits of copper, cobalt and lithium. Rwanda said last week it was also speaking to Washington about a possible minerals deal. Congo has seen a surge in violence after Rwandan-backed M23 rebels launched an offensive in January that led to the capture of the two largest cities in the east. (The U.S. government obtained help from Rwanda to secure a rebel retreat and allow Alphamin to reopen a shuttered tin mine in eastern Congo.)