Why does DRC want a Ukraine-like minerals deal with Trump, amid conflict?
According to Congolese officials, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is conducting “daily exchanges” with the US government to secure a minerals-for-security deal.
The move comes amid escalating violence in the East African country. Coltan, an important mineral used to make electronic gadgets, is a valuable resource for the rebel M23 armed group, which has taken control of some of the region’s riches.
According to the DRC government, at least 7, 000 people have died since January. Thousands more have been displaced.
DRC legislators appear to be hoping that the US will send troops to help contain the conflict in exchange for minerals, despite the lack of details of an official proposal for a deal with the US. However, analysts claim that any deal would leave Washington with a more hands-on approach and that it is unclear whether such an alliance would align with US President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy.
“The most likely scenario of such an agreement would be the US’s provision of military equipment to the DRC as opposed to any direct troop support”, Daniel van Dalen, senior analyst at South Africa-based security intelligence firm, Signal Risk, told Al Jazeera.
What we are currently aware of about the DRC’s proposal:
Why is DRC seeking a minerals deal with the US now?
According to observers, Washington’s suggestion to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia in exchange for a minerals deal inspired the DRC.
According to that proposal, Kyiv will receive a “long-term financial commitment to the development of a stable and economically prosperous Ukraine” from the US by purchasing a 50% stake in the country’s minerals revenue.
According to the Reuters news agency, Andre Wameso, deputy chief of staff to DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi, went to Washington earlier this month to discuss a similar potential “partnership” with US officials. Officials from DC have not provided specific information about the terms of a deal.
To defeat the M23 and more than 100 other armed groups that control lucrative mines throughout the country, the DRC needs security partners, just like Ukraine. The resource-rich country is a major producer of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold. These minerals, collectively known as 3TG, are used to produce electronics, defense equipment, electric vehicles, and other technology. Untapped natural resources inDRC are thought to be worth about $ 24 trillion.
What suggestions have Congolese legislators made?
The Africa Business Council, an international organization supporting African business interests, wrote to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 21 to request US funding for the untapped resources in the DRC. The group said it was acting on behalf of Congolese senator Pierre Kanda Kalambayi who chairs the DRC’s senate committee on defence, security and border protection.
The group suggested that “a long-term economic and security partnership that benefits both countries” could be obtained in exchange for such investment.
The Africa Business Council made the following recommendations in its proposal:
- Access to DRC’s mines for US defence and technology companies and access to a port for exports.
- control of a joint mineral stockpile containing Congolese minerals that the two nations will share.
- Congolese forces would receive training and equipment from the US, and they would also have direct access to the US military in the DRC.
US officials last week signalled a readiness to consider such proposals, but did not respond directly.
A representative from the US State Department told Reuters that the country held “a significant share of the world’s crucial minerals required for advanced technologies” and that “the United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector that are aligned with the Trump Administration’s America First Agenda.”
The spokesperson continued, “in a responsible and transparent manner,” that the US would want to encourage private sector investment in the DRC.
What is the armed conflict in DRC about?
For more than 30 years, a protracted conflict has raged in the DRC. According to analysts, the government’s armed forces are weak as a result of corruption. The country has endured two civil wars between 1996 and 2002, as well as the current rebellion of the M23, with many thousands killed. There have been countless displaced people.
President Felix Tshisekedi prioritizes defeating the M23 armed group. Although several peacekeeping forces are currently in the country, including a United Nations mission (MONUSCO), M23 has managed to seize at least two major towns – Goma and Bukavu – in a lightning advance. A third, a significant mining hub called Walikale, is reportedly in its final stages.
The conflict is given a new dimension by a conflict with neighboring Rwanda. The UN and US have both separately accused , Rwanda of backing the M23 and supplying it with troops. Additionally, they assert that the M23 group is bringing minerals like gold and coltan strays out of the DRC.
Although M23’s president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has previously justified sending Rwandan soldiers to the DRC to defend Congolese Tutsis from alleged discrimination, he denies any involvement. That minority population fled Rwanda in 1994 in the wake of a genocide carried out by members of the Hutu majority.
Rwanda has also claimed that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to Hutu-related armed groups responsible for the genocide. UN reports claimed that both Rwanda and its ally, Uganda, had looted the DRC’s mineral resources during the Congolese civil wars.
Analysts fear that scenario is playing out again, this time via the M23’s control of lucrative mines in eastern DRC. The European Union is now considering revokeing its agreement with Rwanda in February 2024. Around 30% of the world’s tantalum are currently supplied by Rwanda. The EU has similar agreements with the DRC.
In recent weeks, key Rwandan officials have been subject to sanctions by several European nations, including the US, who they claim are responsible for the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
How would the US benefit from a deal with DRC?
Washington could gain from having direct access to minerals owned by the DRC, according to analysts.
Joseph Kabila, the former head of the DRC, has been accused of not being transparent and not fulfilling the promises made in several minerals-for-infrastructure agreements with China. Currently, Chinese companies dominate the investment landscape in DRC’s minerals industry. Southern Katanga, in the DRC, is home to nine of the biggest cobalt mining areas. Half of the mines in those areas are run by Chinese miners.
Under President Tshisekedi, the DRC government appears ready to shift away from China and invite other players to own and operate mines. In the last two years, DRC has entered agreements with the EU and India. According to DRC spokesman Patrick Muyaya, the nation is ready to “diversify” and that the US in particular would be welcomed.
“If today American investors are interested in coming to the DRC, obviously they will find space … DRC has reserves that are available and it would also be good if American capital could invest here”, he said.
However, according to analyst van Dalen, it is unlikely that the US would assuage Congolese politicians’ claims that it would only play catch-up with China if it were to acquire mines in the DRC.
He said, “I don’t anticipate a situation where any agreement significantly alters the domestic security landscape in the near future or China’s standing in the sector.”
A more likely scenario, he added, would see the US buying directly from the government, while its rival, China, continues to operate mines. Any potential US-China “face-offs” on the ground would also be avoided with that strategy.
What will follow?
The two countries were already fostering a growing relationship under former President Joe Biden’s administration but it’s unclear if or when the DRC and the US would sign any deals.
The US is investing in the Lobito Corridor, an infrastructure project that includes the construction of railroads and ports to transport minerals from the DRC to neighboring Angola, despite the absence of any US businesses there.
According to analysts, the transactional nature of the relationship will increase as Trump’s presidency allows.
However, experts also say it remains unclear how new US military equipment for the DRC would immediately change the course of the ongoing war, as the M23 continues its advance towards Kinshasa.
Source: Aljazeera
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