In a bold diplomatic move, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reportedly proposed granting the United States and Europe access to the country’s vast mineral resources, contingent upon their intervention to end the ongoing conflict devastating the nation.
On Sunday, Presidential Spokesperson Tina Salama urged the US to “directly purchase critical minerals” from the DRC rather than sourcing “looted” and “smuggled” resources through Rwanda.
She extended the same request to Europe and other buyers, emphasizing that the DRC is the “rightful owner” of these valuable commodities.
“Setting the record straight: President Tshisekedi invites the USA, whose companies source strategic raw materials from Rwanda — materials looted from the DRC and smuggled to Rwanda while our people are massacred — to buy them directly from us, the rightful owners,” Salama stated in a social media post.
Her comments followed an interview with President Tshisekedi, which described his mention of past US interest in the DRC’s minerals but did not directly quote him offering minerals in exchange for peace.
Tshisekedi’s proposed offer comes just days after the US imposed sanctions on James Kabarebe, a senior Rwandan military officer and former Minister of Defence, who was identified as a liaison to the M23 rebel group.
The group, led by ethnic Tutsis, has seized key towns in eastern DRC, including Goma, and has previously threatened to advance towards the capital, Kinshasa, though analysts consider this unlikely due to the significant distance.
Following the sanctions, Salama noted, “Sourcing raw materials, also known as conflict minerals, from Rwanda will become increasingly compromised and complicated.”
Currently, China holds greater access to Congo’s mineral wealth than the US, while the European Union has entered negotiations with Rwanda.
In 2023, the EU agreed to provide Rwanda with approximately $935 million in exchange for minerals like tin, tungsten, and gold. However, during a meeting on Monday, EU foreign ministers failed to reach a consensus on immediate sanctions against Rwanda for its alleged involvement in the conflict, though they indicated a possible reassessment of the raw materials agreement.
“We have urged Rwanda to withdraw its troops, and the Memorandum of Understanding regarding critical raw materials will be under review,” stated Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Belgium, DRC’s former colonial ruler, signed a separate agreement with the DRC in February 2023 as part of the EU’s broader strategy to secure critical mineral supplies.
This agreement recognized Rwanda as a key player in the global extraction of tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold, while also noting its potential in lithium and rare earth mining.
Meanwhile, the DRC and multiple United Nations reports have accused Rwanda of exploiting the unrest to loot Congolese minerals such as gold, copper, cobalt, and coltan — essential for manufacturing high-tech devices and electric vehicle batteries.
The M23 rebel group has reportedly seized control of lucrative mining regions, with a December UN expert report revealing that around 120 tonnes of coltan were being smuggled into Rwanda every month.
Despite Rwanda’s consistent denials of mineral exploitation, the reports highlight a significant rise in Rwanda’s mineral exports, much of which is suspected to originate from the DRC.
The DRC remains the world’s largest cobalt producer, mining 220,000 metric tons of the metal last year, according to the US Geological Survey. Nearly 70% of the world’s tantalum, extracted from coltan, comes from the DRC and neighboring Rwanda.
The volatile eastern region of the DRC is also home to vast deposits of tin and tungsten, with mining of these metals linked to large-scale environmental damage, human rights abuses, and violence, including the use of child labor in hazardous conditions.
