On March 17, President Tshisekedi met with U.S. lawmaker Ronny Jackson to discuss the conflict in eastern Congo and U.S. investment opportunities in the country, Reuters reported. The Congolese government wants US support to fight the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the east and end their looting of mineral resources. The meeting comes a week after Washington expressed willingness to explore a key minerals partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo. In February, a Congolese lawmaker contacted U.S. officials with a mineral-for-security deal.
President Tshisekedi faces an insurgent threat from Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo and his government plans to send a delegation to Angola on Tuesday for peace talks. Congo is rich in mineral resources, including cobalt, lithium and uranium. The government has not made public details of the deal with the United States, saying only that it is seeking to diversify partnerships. The long-running conflict stems from the spillover effects of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the struggle for control of Congo's rich mineral resources. The conflict has escalated significantly this year, with M23 rebels now in control of the country's two largest cities in the east. Observers noted that behind this seemingly ordinary diplomatic meeting, there were undercurrents. In a statement from the Congolese presidency, Jackson was given the special status of "President Trump's special envoy." The Texas Republican may bring more than just investment intentions from US companies. In February, a Congolese lawmaker proposed a "safety-for-minerals" cooperation framework to the United States, and now the surprise visit by a senior American official has fueled speculation that the two sides may be reaching a tacit agreement on some kind of strategic deal. Speaking after the meeting, Jackson said: "We want American companies to come and invest and work in the DRC. To that end, we must ensure a peaceful environment." Jackson's statement is in line with the Congolese government's strategic concept of "resources for security." However, the reality is more complicated than diplomatic rhetoric - Congo's poor infrastructure, security situation, chronic corruption, and the fact that Chinese companies have become dominant in the mining sector are all likely to stand in the way of US-Congo cooperation. Byron Cabrol, a senior U.S. Africa analyst, said last week that attracting U.S. mining companies to invest in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be an uphill struggle due to poor infrastructure, unstable security, corruption and the dominance of Chinese companies, and that Washington's mineral security strategy is facing a harsh reality check. Indeed, when Chinese companies have built a complete mining and refining industry chain in Congo for more than a decade, if American companies want to catch up, they not only need to break through geopolitical risks, but also face the huge cost of supply chain restructuring. This dark mining war around the "heart of Africa" may just be the beginning.
