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The US is in exploratory discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo about a possible deal giving it access to critical minerals in the African country, the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to secure access to the resources overseas.
DR Congo — which has vast supplies of copper, cobalt and uranium — approached the US last month with a proposal for a deal that would offer exploration rights to the US in exchange for support for the government of President Félix Tshisekedi, according to public documents.
Congolese officials hope a minerals deal will shore up support for Tshisekedi as he struggles with armed conflict in the eastern part of the country, where M23 rebels backed by neighbouring Rwanda have captured swaths of mineral rich territory and the two largest cities, Goma and Bukavu.
The discussions with Washington have grown more serious in recent days, according to people with direct knowledge of the discussions, although several obstacles remain and they remain at a relatively early stage.
“The DRC is endowed with a significant share of the world’s critical minerals required for advanced technologies. The United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector that are aligned with the Trump administration’s America First agenda,” a state department spokesperson told the Financial Times.
“Partnerships with US companies will strengthen both US and DRC economies, create higher skilled jobs, and integrate the country into regional and global value chains,” the state department added.
A letter sent to secretary of state Marco Rubio on behalf of Congolese Senator Pierre Kanda Kalambayi late last month proposed that DR Congo could give US companies extraction rights for mining projects, and collaborate on developing a strategic stockpile of minerals.
In exchange, the letter requests American support for training and equipping Congolese armed forces.
While the terms of a deal have yet to be worked out, the interest shown by the US underscores the Trump administration’s focus on acquiring access to resources around the world.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has proposed that the US should take control of Greenland and has advocated a minerals deal with Ukraine, which is expected to be signed soon.
Greater US involvement in DR Congo would provide a counterweight to China’s influence and the Chinese companies that control most large mining operations there.
The letter sent to Rubio states: “While China has historically dominated mineral supply chains in the DR Congo, the recent policy shift from President Tshisekedi presents a rare opportunity for the US to establish a direct and ethical supply chain.”
No major American mining companies have operated in DR Congo since Freeport-McMoRan sold its stake the Tenke Fungurume copper mine in 2016.
The mineral deal talks are taking place at a time when the political situation in the country is increasingly fragile. Tshisekedi’s hold on power has looked shakier in recent weeks as his political opponents in DR Congo seek advantage from his perceived weakness.
“It reads like an act of desperation,” said Indigo Ellis, managing director at JS Held, the consulting firm, referring to the minerals deal. “The individuals who put forward this proposal are scrambling slightly to come up with things that might appeal to the US.”
Multiple reports by UN investigators have accused neighbouring Rwanda of exploiting the conflict in eastern Congo to plunder mineral resources such as gold and the coltan used in mobile phones.
UN officials have said Rwanda has sent several thousand troops across the border in support of M23 during the latest round of fighting, which escalated in January.
While Rwanda denies the allegations, the US imposed sanctions on the country’s minister for regional integration and former army chief, James Kabarebe, last month.
The conflict has drawn in other neighbouring armies, including from Burundi and Uganda, and risks reviving the wider regional war that engulfed the region two decades ago.
Commenting on the proposed minerals deal, Tshisekedi’s spokesperson, Tina Salama, said on X that the Congolese president had invited the US, “whose companies source strategic raw materials from Rwanda, materials that are looted from the DR Congo and smuggled to Rwanda while our populations are massacred, to purchase them directly from us the rightful owners”.
The White House declined to comment.
