The US State Department confirmed Sunday that it is open to exploring critical minerals partnerships with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following outreach from a Congolese politician proposing a minerals-for-security deal.
The DRC, endowed with vast reserves of cobalt, lithium, and uranium, is currently battling Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who have seized substantial territory in the country’s eastern region.
“The United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector,” a State Department spokesperson said, highlighting the DRC’s “significant share of the world’s critical minerals required for advanced technologies.” The US has also been engaged in similar discussions with Ukraine regarding a minerals pact.
The spokesperson emphasized Washington’s efforts to increase US private sector investment in the DRC, aiming to develop the country’s mining resources responsibly and transparently.
Although Kinshasa has not officially unveiled a proposal, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya confirmed the country is seeking to diversify its global partnerships. “There is a desire for us to diversify our partners,” he said. “If today American investors are interested in coming to the DRC, obviously they will find space. DRC has available reserves and it would also be good if American capital could invest here.”
Andre Wameso, Deputy Chief of Staff to President Félix Tshisekedi, recently visited Washington to discuss the possibility of such a partnership.
On February 21, Pierre Kanda Kalambayi, Chair of the DRC Senate’s Defense Committee, invited US investment in the country’s critical mineral sector in exchange for support in reinforcing regional stability, through letters addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials.
However, Congolese authorities later clarified that this initiative had not been formally endorsed by the government or the presidency. Still, discussions between the two countries remain active at various diplomatic and technical levels.
Meanwhile, intense fighting continues in eastern DRC. On Sunday, M23 rebels reportedly seized control of Nyabiondo, a town about 100km north of Goma, following heavy clashes with pro-government forces.
“The enemy opened a large-scale assault on Nyabiondo this morning,” said Telesphore Mitondeke, a civil society official in Masisi. Local administrative officer Kipanda Biiri confirmed that M23 forces had taken the town by midday.
This latest assault follows a deadly attack on March 5 in the village of Tambi, northeast of Masisi, where many civilians were killed. A UN memo reported that between 13 and 40 civilians may have died in the violence.
In a parallel political development, former President Joseph Kabila has re-entered the political scene by holding talks with opposition politicians and civil society groups, raising speculation over the country’s political direction.
President Tshisekedi and Kabila, who previously formed an uneasy power-sharing agreement following the contested 2018 elections, have since fallen out. The rift deepened when Tshisekedi publicly accused Kabila of backing the M23 insurgency during remarks at the Munich Security Conference last month.
Kabila later responded through an opinion piece published on February 23 in a South African newspaper, accusing Tshisekedi of constitutional violations, human rights abuses, and bringing the DRC to the brink of civil war.
Although no official political roadmap has been announced, the return of Kabila to political discourse signals renewed uncertainty in a country already grappling with armed conflict and fragile governance.
