According to a report by Reuters cited on Mining.com, the US is actively promoting peace talks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, with the aim of signing agreements with both countries within two months.
Massad Boulos, a senior African advisor to Trump, is leading the initiative to advance the plan, which aims to sign bilateral mineral agreements with the two countries, potentially bringing in billions of US dollars in Western investment to the region.
“The agreement with the DRC will be larger because it is a bigger country with more resources, but Rwanda also has significant resources and capabilities and potential in the mining sector,” Boulos told Reuters.
Currently, the DRC is the world’s largest producer of cobalt and Africa’s largest producer of copper. Additionally, the country accounts for nearly 70% of the world’s tantalum production. The eastern part of the country is rich in tungsten and tin reserves, and there are also some columbite-tantalite deposits.
For decades, the DRC and neighboring Rwanda have been embroiled in conflicts due to ethnic strife and competition for control over the region’s natural resources. Earlier this year, tensions escalated between the two countries after the M23 movement attacked and took control of eastern DRC, including the strategic mining hub of Walikale.
According to Reuters, as part of the US-led peace mediation process, both countries are required to submit draft peace agreements by May 2, and they will meet in mid-May. US Secretary of State Rubio, as well as the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda, will participate in the talks.
Boulos stated that several key issues need to be resolved to reach a peace agreement: Rwanda must withdraw its troops and cease its support for the M23 movement, while the DRC must address Rwanda’s concerns about armed civilian groups such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
A multinational monitoring committee, including the US, Qatar, France, and Togo, is overseeing the peace agreement process.
(Source)