Rare Earths are much in demand and it seems the US is now actively seeking countries with reserves of such mineral wealth. The Ukraine mineral deal is still in limbo, as Washington and Kiev are yet to come to an agreement over the same. However this has not deterred the US from exploring other avenues.
The US is now exploring a deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to access its natural resources in exchange for American security assistance, the Financial Times has reported.
The DRC has been hit hard by armed militant outfits. Escalating violence has marked the eastern provinces of the nation especially since January. The M23 militant group has seized several key cities driving the country into complete civil turmoil. Last month, Prime Minister of DRC Judith Suminwa estimated that the conflict had caused 7,000 fatalities.
The DRC has repeatedly accused the neighboring nation of Rwanda of backing the militants, claims that have been echoed by the West. Rwanda has consistently denied these allegations.
Mineral Deal
On Saturday, the FT cited unnamed sources as saying that the discussions between the US nad DRC about a potential mineral deal have intensified recently, “although several obstacles remain” and they are “at a relatively early stage.”
Last month, Tina Salama, a spokesperson of DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, wrote on X that Kinshasa “invites the USA, whose companies source strategic raw materials from Rwanda, materials that are looted from the DRC and smuggled to Rwanda while our populations are massacred, to purchase them directly from us the rightful owners.”
Prior to that, DRC Senator Pierre Kanda Kalambayi sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying that “The United States is well-positioned to forge an enduring partnership with the DRC – a nation that possesses over $24 trillion in untapped reserves of critical minerals.”
Among the resources mentioned are cobalt, which is of particular interest to the aerospace and defense sectors, as well as of lithium, tantalum, and uranium.
Kinshasa would expect Washington to step up military cooperation, as well as efforts to train and equip the DRC military, Kalambayi stated.
Meanwhile the European Union is also reconsidering its recent critical raw materials agreement with Rwanda in response to conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), High Representative Kaja Kallas has said.
But the bloc will not follow the US’s lead in sanctioning on Rwandan officials, with EU foreign ministers rather reaching a “political decision” to introduce potential sanctions “depending on the situation on the ground.”
The US on the other hand has been looking for partners like the DRC, as Rare Earths minerals are currently the most in demand resources. Their uses for technology, aerospace, clean energy and a variety of other purposes make them indisposable.
DRC is a huge country currently in complete internal turmoil, if the US is able to go forward with a mineral deal then it will be beneficial for both nations as the US’ direct involvement in the region will be big deterrence to militants who are currently running havoc in its Eastern territories.
However the involvement of the US also comes at a price as that would also mean Washington gets a ground hold in the region. The DRC is desperate as this deal may ensure its survival, and pull it out of civil chaos but it may come at a huge cost.
