“We have taken note of the DR Congo proposal and I am pleased to announce that President [Félix Tshisekedi] and I have reached an agreement on the way forward for its elaboration,” said Donald Trump’s advisor, Massad Boulos, quoted in a press release issued by the Democratic-Congolese presidency.
The eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), rich in natural resources and bordering Rwanda, has been the scene of conflict for thirty years, but the crisis has intensified in recent months.
The Rwandan-backed anti-government armed group M23 seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in late January before taking control of Bukavu, the capital of neighboring South Kivu province, a few weeks later.
In recent weeks, the President of the DR Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, spoke to the press about a possible mining agreement with the United States, but without specifying whether the counterparts, particularly in terms of security, were part of the discussions with Washington.
Since the M23's lightning offensive, calls from the international community for the armed group and Rwandan troops to withdraw have gone unheeded.
Diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis, including Angola's mediation, all failed until Qatar's surprise intervention last month, which brought together the Presidents of the DR Congo and Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in Doha.
The two heads of state, responding to an invitation from Emir Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, spoke of a ceasefire.
The next day, however, M23 captured a new town, Walikale, in an area rich in gold and tin. On Thursday, the DR Congo army announced that it had recaptured the city last night.
However, the armed group sent a delegation to Doha last week with a view to possible talks with Kinshasa, announced for April 9, according to an M23 source. Kinshasa has not yet confirmed the date.
The capture of Walikale, a town of 60,000 inhabitants, about 230 kilometers from Goma and Bukavu, forced the Alphamin mining group to suspend its operations at the Bisie tin mine, the third largest in the world in terms of production.
Alphamin is majority owned by Mauritius-based investment firm Tremont Master Holdings, which was created by US private equity giant Denham Capital. The world's leading producer of cobalt, the DR Congo also holds at least 60 percent of the world's coltan reserves.
The second largest country in Africa, the DR Congo is also one of the world's largest producers of lithium, tantalum and uranium, rare minerals essential for advanced technologies.
Much of the mining in the east of the country, criticized for its opaque supply chains and rampant corruption, is in the hands of Chinese entities.
