The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is hopeful of finalising a pivotal investment agreement with the United States as early as next month. The deal would mark a significant boost to American involvement in Congo’s critical minerals sector and could also help pave the way for peace efforts aimed at ending the Rwandan-backed insurgency in the country’s troubled east, according to the Financial Times.
Backed by Washington, the proposed agreement would allow minerals such as tin, tantalum and tungsten to be legally exported from the DRC to Rwanda for processing—a step seen as part of a broader peace framework, Reuters reported last week. These minerals have long been at the centre of regional tensions, with Kinshasa accusing Kigali of illegal mining and smuggling across the border.
Sources familiar with the negotiations told the Financial Times that both a U.S.-DRC investment deal and a separate peace accord involving Rwanda could be concluded by the end of June. However, significant hurdles remain, and there is no guarantee that either agreement will come to fruition.
DRC’s Mines Minister, Kizito Pakabomba, told the FT that a partnership with the U.S. would be a major milestone in the country’s strategy to reduce its dependence on China, which has traditionally dominated the region’s mineral extraction and processing sector. He emphasised that “diversifying our partnerships” was essential to increasing the country’s economic autonomy.
The illegal exploitation of Congo’s mineral resources is seen by the Congolese authorities as a major driver of the ongoing violence in the eastern provinces, where M23 rebels—allegedly backed by Rwanda—have ramped up their operations since January. Kinshasa claims that minerals worth tens of millions of dollars are smuggled into Rwanda every month and then sold internationally under false origins.
The United States is said to be urging the adoption of a comprehensive peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda over the summer. This would be tied to mineral sector agreements aimed at encouraging major Western investments in the volatile, yet resource-rich, region. Earlier this month, Massad Boulos, an adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump on African matters, said the U.S. administration aims to channel billions of dollars of Western capital into the area.
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo responded to the developments by stating, via the Financial Times, that Rwanda would maintain its defensive presence along the border with the DRC “as long as threats and the cause of insecurity in the DRC persists”.
