The United States is closing an agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo that would see US companies take more control of critical mineral assets in exchange for greater support for the Kinshasa government.
The newly appointed advisor of Africa of the president of the United States, Massad Boulos, said he had seen the schemes of the agreement and that he had agreed to continue “with the president of Dr. Congo Felix Tshisekedi.
The agreement would foster the “investment of the private private sector in DR Congo, particularly in the mining sector,” added Boulos in a video statement published by the Dr Congo government.
According to the contours of the agreement, the United States International Development Finance Corporation would sign some of the US investments in the central nation of Africa, said Joseph Szlavik, a lobbyist with headquarters in Washington that advises the Congolese government.
Companies that would be carried out under the new framework are not exclusively American, but US companies would begin to invest in the lithium of Dr Congo and the agreement would somehow go to counteract the Chinese domain of the abundant copper and cobalt resources of the country.
The mining backed by Bill Gates and the artificial intelligence company Kobold Metals are among those who look at the huge but disputed manius lithium deposit. Other companies that consider participation are Orion resource partners based in the United States, the United States mining investor, Robert Friedland, the British-Australian miner Rio Tinto and the united mining of Saudi Arabia, said people familiar with conversations.
Kobold, Orion and Rio Tinto declined to comment. Friedland and United did not respond to requests for comments.
Other discussion assets include copper and cobalt assets controlled by Chemaf, based in Dubai, a company backed by Singapore’s traffic. Chemaf has been on sale since 2023 and is looking for a new buyer after a sale to the Norinco de China failed due to the opposition of the Congo Gécaminas. Chemaf declined to comment.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Dr. Congo, who has great copper supplies, cobalt, coltan, tin and uranium, approached the United States for the first time in February with a proposal that offers mining rights in exchange for government support, according to public documents.
The proposal comes at a time when Washington is pressing for an extended mineral agreement in Ukraine. But it is not clear in the case of Dr. Congo what would be the participation of the United States to strengthen security.
The security panorama in Dr. Congo is very different from that of Ukraine, as in addition to the direct conflict with the M23 rebels backed by Rwanda, there are more than 140 active armed groups in the east of the Congo.
However, Congolese officials hope to use the agreement to prop up support for TSHISEKEDI while fighting to contain the lifting of the M23. The rebels have captured stripes of territory rich in minerals and the two largest cities in the east of Dr. Goma and Bukavu.
Before leaving Kinshasa on Friday to talk during the weekend with Kenya William Ruto, Yoweri Museveni de Uganda and Paul Kagame de Ruanda, Boulese said: “We seek lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Dr. Congo and places the foundations for a regional economic economy.”
Szlavik, who spoke of Kinshasa, said that the United States had already helped negotiate an agreement that led the insurgents backed by Rwanda to withdraw from an area near the tin mine of Alphamin’s resources in East Congo. AlfamÃn is owned by the majority by Denham Capital, based in the United States.
The mine and the surrounding area contributed to almost 10 percent of world tin production last year and its capture led to an increase in tin prices and a drop in the price of Alphamin’s shares. In exchange for retiring, the Government of Dr. Congo agreed to stop drone attacks against the rebels in the area. Alphamin declined to comment.
Rwanda denies the UN reports and the western government that it is supporting and putting together the M23 rebels partly to exploit the abundance of minerals in Dr. Congo.
But Szlavik said Washington was not under illusions about Rwanda’s participation. Dr. Congo’s mineral agreement and the participation of Bouls, whose son Michael is married to Trump’s daughter, Tiffany, in negotiations would send a strong signal to regional governments over how seriously the United States takes Congolese sovereignty.
“If you lie, you are talking to the great man … mother -in -law. The president of the United States will finally listen directly about what is happening. It is an opportunity to organize chaos,” said Szlavik.
He added that there was already a large amount of informal trade, including the smuggling of minerals, which was carried out at the eastern borders of Dr. Congo, with armed groups that exploit instability by profits.
“The United States says why we do not build roads instead of buying weapons and making a regional plan for how everyone can do business,” said Szlavik.
This could involve the creation of an industrial zone in the Congo that would export processed metals through their neighbors, they said that others in Washington became familiar with conversations.
But compared to the mineral agreement that the United States is pressing with Ukraine, DR Congo One remains incomplete, said some Africa experts based in Washington.
Bulosveni’s meetings in Uganda and Kagame in Rwanda in the next few days are key barriers, since, given their military force on the borders of Dr. Congo and his participation with the representatives, the tacit support of both leaders is essential for any agreement.
Additional James Politi reports in Washington
