By Rorisang Modiba
- The DRC is offering its vast mineral resources to the US in exchange for military support against advancing M23 rebels.
- President Tshisekedi sees Trump’s administration as potentially receptive to a transactional arrangement similar to a proposed Ukraine-US deal.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wants support from the United States as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels push forward in the country’s mineral-rich eastern region.
President FĆ©lix Tshisekedi is looking to get US backing after facing military setbacks and seeing regional interventions fail.
The DRC is offering access to critical minerals including cobalt, lithium and uranium ā key resources needed for defence, aerospace and electric vehicle industries.
Congo hopes to strike a deal with Donald Trump’s administration.
Reports suggest the US president may soon appoint his daughter Tiffany’s father-in-law to an important role in the region.
A Congolese senator recently proposed an “economic and military partnership” to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio through the Africa-USA Business Council.
The DRC has an estimated R432 trillion in untapped mineral wealth. Any deal could reshape global supply chains and challenge China’s dominance in the sector.
Meanwhile, M23 rebels have hinted they might advance towards Kinshasa, increasing Tshisekedi’s urgency to find foreign support.
Pictured above: Congolese army.
Image source: @PrimatureRDC
