The United States concludes an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which would see American companies gain more control of critical mineral assets in exchange for greater support for the Government of Kinshasa besieged.
President Donald Trump’s new adviser in Africa Massad Boulos said he had seen the contours of the agreement and had agreed from a “long -term” with Dr Congo, Felix Tshisekedi.
The agreement would promote “the investment of the American private sector in Dr. Congo, in particular in the mining sector,” he added in a video declaration published by the government of Dr Congo.
Under the contours of the agreement, the US International Development Finance Corporation subscribe some of the American investments in the Central African nation, said Joseph Szlavik, a lobbyist based in Washington who advises the government of Dr Congo.
Companies that are attracted to the new framework are not exclusively American, but American companies would begin to invest in Dr. Congo lithium and the agreement would in a way to counter the Chinese domination of the abundant resources in copper and cobalt of the country.
The Kobold Metals Kobold Metals start-up supported by Bill Gates and artificial intelligence is one of those who envisage the enormous but legally contested the Manono lithium deposit. Other companies that plan to participate are Orion resource partners based in the United States, the Canadian mining investor of the United States Robert Friedland, British miner-australian Rio Tinto and United Mining from Saudi Arabia, said people familiar with talks.
Kobold, Orion and Rio Tinto refused to comment. Friedland and United did not respond to requests for comments.
The other assets under discussion include copper and cobalt assets controlled by Cheraf, based in Dubai, a company supported by the Trafigura de Singapore. Chemaf has been on sale since 2023 and has been looking for a new buyer after a sale in Norinco de China fell due to the opposition of the Gécamines du Congo. Chemaf refused to comment.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Dr. Congo, who has large supplies of copper, cobalt, coltan, tin and uranium, first approached the United States in February with a proposal offering mining rights in exchange for government support, according to public documents.
The proposal comes at a time when Washington puts pressure on an agreement of expanded minerals in Ukraine. But it is not clear in the case of Dr. Congo, what the security of the United States would look like in strengthening security.
The safety landscape of Dr Congo is very different from that of Ukraine, because in addition to direct conflicts with the M23 rebels supported by Rwandans, there are more than 140 active armed groups in the east of Congo.
Nevertheless, Congolese officials hope to use the agreement to consolidate the safeguard for Tshisekedi when he has trouble containing the M23 uprising. The rebels have captured territory strips rich in minerals and the two largest cities in eastern Dr. Congo, Goma and Bukavu.
Before leaving Kinshasa on Friday for interviews during the weekend with President Kenyan William Ruto, Uganda Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda Paul Kagame, Boulos said: “We are looking for a lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Dr Congo and throws the foundations of a prosperous regional economy.”
Szlavik, who spoke of Kinshasa, said that the United States had already helped negotiate an agreement that led the insurgents supported by Rwandans to withdraw from an area near the tin mine of Alphamine Resources in eastern Congo. Alphamin belongs to the majority by Denham Capital, based in the United States.
The mine and the surroundings contributed almost 10% of the world’s tin production last year and its capture resulted in an increase in tin prices and a drop in the action of alphamine. In exchange for withdrawal, the government of Dr Congo has agreed to stop drone attacks against rebels in the region. Alphamin refused to comment.
Rwanda denies the UN and the Western government reports that it supports and weapons the M23 rebels in part to exploit the abundance of minerals in Dr. Congo.
But Szlavik said Washington had not illustrated himself in Rwandan’s participation. Dr. Congo Minerals Deal Talks and the involvement of Boulos – whose son Michael is married to Trump Tiffany’s daughter – in negotiations would send a strong signal to regional governments on the serious of Congolese sovereignty.
“If you lie, you speak to the great man … The in-laws. The President of the United States will finally hear what is going on. This is an opportunity to organize chaos,” said Szlavik.
He added that there was already a huge amount of informal trade, including the smuggling of minerals, taking place at the eastern borders of Dr Congo, with armed groups exploiting for -profit instability.
“The United States said why we are not building roads instead of buying weapons and making a regional plan in the way everyone can do business,” said Szlavik.
This could involve the creation of an industrial zone in the Congo which would export metals transformed via its neighbors, others told Washington familiar with talks.
But in comparison with minerals, the United States heads Ukraine, Dr. Congo One remains summary, some experts in Africa based in Washington said.
Boulos meetings with Museveni in Uganda and Kagame in Rwanda in the coming days are key obstacles because, given their military force at the borders of Dr Congo and their involvement in proxies, the tacit support of the two leaders is essential to any agreement.
Additional report by James Politi
