The Financial Times (FT) reported that officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are hopeful that they may reach an agreement with Washington next month to attract U.S. investment in the mining sector and gain support to halt the rebel groups of AFC/M23, which Kinshasa consistently accuses Rwanda of backing.
Last week, British news agency Reuters reported that the DRC continues to accuse Rwanda of illegally exploiting minerals like tungsten, tantalum, and tin. Sources say these minerals might be legally exported to Rwanda for processing under a peace agreement mediated by the U.S.
FT stated that reliable sources indicated a possible trilateral investment deal involving Washington, Kigali, and Kinshasa could be signed by the end of June, although some final details still need to be finalized.
Congo’s Minister of Mines, Kizito Pakabomba, told FT that this agreement with the U.S. would strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors through American investment, helping reduce the country’s reliance on China for mineral exploitation.
Kinshasa is pushing hard for this deal, hoping it will be a solution to a war that many attribute not to historical ethnic issues tied to Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese or poor governance, but rather to the region’s immense natural resources.
Washington is increasing pressure for a peace agreement to be signed this summer, coupled with major mineral investments that could bring billions of dollars to the region, according to Massad Boulos, senior advisor to former U.S. President Donald Trump on African affairs, who made this statement earlier this month.
All parties involved in the deal have committed to finding peaceful solutions to the eastern Congo crisis and to improving transparency in the natural resources sector.
On Sunday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told Reuters that respect for national sovereignty is a foundational principle embedded in the agreement.
