Latest News

US pushes Congo and Rwanda to reach peace agreement and billion-dollar minerals deals

According to Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, the U.S. wants Congo and Rwanda sign a peace agreement at the White House within two months. This will be accompanied by bilateral deals on minerals that would bring Western investment worth billions of dollars to the region.

Massad Boulos, in an interview with Doha, the Qatari capital's media, said: "When we sign peace agreement,... the mineral deal with DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), will be done on that date, and then another similar package of a smaller size will be done with Rwanda on the same day."

The U.S. would support a peace agreement that comes amid the unprecedented advance of M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, in Congo. This is the latest cycle in a long-running conflict in a rich region with tantalum, gold, and other minerals. Rwanda denies supporting the group.

According to the peace process that was agreed upon in Washington, last week, as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at ending violence in eastern Congo.

The Congolese Government did not immediately reply to the request for comment.

Boulos stated that in mid-May, U.S. Secretary Marco Rubio and the Rwandan & Congolese Foreign Ministers will meet at Washington to try to reach an agreement on a final draft of a peace accord.

Boulos stated that before the agreement can be signed, Rwanda and Congo need to finalise bilateral agreements with Washington. These agreements will see U.S. companies and Western firms invest billions in Congolese mining and infrastructure projects in order to support mining both in Rwanda and Congo.

The (agreement with the D.R.C. The D.R.C. agreement is on a larger scale because the country has more resources. Rwanda has many resources and capacity in the mining sector, not only upstream but also downstream, including processing, refining, and trading," Boulos added.

Boulos claimed that U.S. companies and Western firms have informed Washington they will make multi-billion dollar investments in this region after the bilateral mineral deals are signed.

Boulos said that Washington also expects that both countries address security concerns before the White House ceremony can proceed. Rwanda, for example, must withdraw its troops from Congo and stop its support of M23 rebels. Congo must respond to Rwanda's concerns about security by bringing in militias like the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda.

Boulos stated that on Wednesday, a committee of observers was formed to monitor the progress made by both countries towards the peace agreement. The group includes representatives from the U.S.A., France, Qatar and Togo. Reporting by Andrew Mills Editing and reporting by Robbie Corey Boulet, Peter Graff, and Sandra Maler

(source: Reuters)