Latest news with #MassadBoulos
Daily Maverick
25-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Congo eyes US minerals deal by end of June, FT reports
Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.S., Reuters reported last week. An investment deal with the U.S. and separate peace deal with Rwanda were possible 'by the end of June', the newspaper said, citing two people close to the negotiations. But potential stumbling blocks remain substantial, the FT said. Reuters could not confirm the report. Congo's Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba said an agreement with the U.S. would help 'diversify our partnerships', reducing the country's dependence on China for the exploitation of its vast mineral riches, the FT reported. Kinshasa views the plundering of its mineral wealth as a key driver of the conflict between its forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo that has intensified since January, accusing Kigali of smuggling tens of millions of dollars worth of minerals over the border each month to be sold from Rwanda. Washington is pushing for a peace agreement between the two sides to be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, Massad Boulos, U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, said earlier this month. 'Both participants have committed to work to find peaceful resolutions to the issues driving the conflict in eastern DRC, and to introduce greater transparency to natural resource supply chains. Respect for each country's territorial integrity is at the center of the process,' a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Sunday. Rwanda's defensive measures along the border are necessary as long as threats and the cause of insecurity in the DRC persists, Yolande Makolo, a Rwandan government spokesperson said, according to the FT.
TimesLIVE
25-05-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
DRC eyes US minerals deal by end of June, FT reports
Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are optimistic they can reach a deal with Washington next month to secure US investment in critical minerals alongside support to end a Rwandan-backed rebellion in the country's east, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the US, Reuters reported last week. An investment deal with the US and separate peace deal with Rwanda were possible 'by the end of June', the newspaper said, citing two people close to the negotiations. But potential stumbling blocks remain substantial, the FT said. DRC mines minister Kizito Pakabomba said an agreement with the US would help 'diversify our partnerships', reducing the country's dependence on China for the exploitation of its vast mineral riches, the FT reported. Kinshasa views the plundering of its mineral wealth as a key driver of the conflict between its forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the eastern DRC that has intensified since January, accusing Kigali of smuggling tens of millions of dollars worth of minerals over the border each month to be sold from Rwanda. Washington is pushing for a peace agreement between the two sides to be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, said earlier this month. Rwanda's defensive measures along the border, are necessary as long as threats and the cause of insecurity in the DRC persists, Yolande Makolo, a Rwandan government spokesperson said, according to the FT.
The Herald
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Ex-president Kabila calls DRC justice system 'instrument of oppression'
Kabila has for weeks said he will return to DRC to help find a solution to the crisis in the east, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels now control large swathes of territory. Speaking on Friday from an undisclosed location — for security reasons, according to his team — Kabila said DRC's sovereignty and territorial integrity were non-negotiable. 'As a soldier, I swore to defend my country to the supreme sacrifice ... I remain more faithful than ever to this oath,' he said. A return to DRC by Kabila could complicate the bid to end the rebellion in eastern DRC, which contains vast supplies of critical minerals that US President Donald Trump's administration is keen to access. Washington is pushing for a peace agreement to be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, Massad Boulos, Trump's senior adviser for Africa, told Reuters earlier this month. Kabila came to power in 2001 after his father's assassination. He refused to stand down when his final term officially ended in 2016, leading to deadly protests, before he agreed to leave office after an election in 2018. Reuters
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Says the U.S. is Close to Brokering Peace Between Congo and Rwanda
President Trump claimed on Wednesday that his administration was close to brokering peace in the war between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, two African nations with a long history of conflict. He made the remarks at an Oval Office meeting with South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa. Mr. Trump said that Massad Boulos, the State Department's senior adviser for Africa and the father-in-law to Tiffany Trump, had helped settle the war. Mr. Boulos, who was at the Oval Office meeting, said that Rwanda and Congo had both submitted draft peace agreements that had been evaluated and merged into one by the Trump administration, creating an agreement that was now being finalized. The conflict between Congo and its much smaller eastern neighbor, Rwanda, has simmered for three decades. The latest invasion of Congo by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia started in late 2021. In an interview in February, Felix Tshisekedi, the president of Congo, offered the United States and Europe access to his country's vast mineral wealth while asking for help forcing Rwanda to withdraw from Congo's east. Mr. Boulos traveled to Congo last month, after which Congo and Rwanda signed a document committing to work toward peace and to cooperate with U.S. investors, especially in mining and infrastructure projects. Fighting is still raging in eastern Congo, where M23 has seized swaths of territory. During the meeting, Mr. Ramaphosa spoke of various international efforts to achieve a cease-fire, and said that South Africa, which had contributed troops to a regional force, was removing its soldiers so that peace could prevail. 'All efforts, including those from outside the continent and inside the continent, are really worthwhile,' he told Mr. Trump.
Zawya
20-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
US-led peace talks could boost Rwandan processing of Congo minerals, sources say
Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.S., three sources told Reuters. Kinshasa views the plundering of its mineral wealth as a key driver of the conflict between its forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo that has intensified since January, accusing Kigali of smuggling tens of millions of dollars worth of minerals over the border each month to be sold from Rwanda. Washington is pushing for a peace agreement between the two sides to be signed this summer, accompanied by minerals deals aimed at bringing billions of dollars of Western investment to the region, Massad Boulos, U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, told Reuters earlier this month. He said on X last week that the U.S. had provided the first draft of a deal to both sides, though its contents have not been disclosed. Two diplomatic sources and one U.N. source briefed by U.S. officials told Reuters that the negotiations could lead to minerals from what are now artisanal mining zones in eastern Congo being refined and marketed from Rwanda. "Their (Washington's) point of view is simple: If Rwanda can legitimately benefit from Congo's minerals through processing, it will be less tempted to occupy its neighbour and plunder its minerals," one of the diplomats said. "And for Congo, industrialization would increase its revenues, improve traceability, and combat the armed groups that currently live off the miners." A government spokesperson for Congo, which has long said it wants to move away from raw exports and towards local processing, referred questions to the foreign ministry, which did not respond. A Congolese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no cooperation on minerals could happen without the withdrawal of Rwandan troops and "their proxies", a reference to M23, which controls more territory than ever in eastern Congo. The official said Rwanda would also need to respect "our sovereignty over everything, including our minerals." For Rwanda, the negotiations could bring a massive inflow of cash that could help it clean up what has until now been a largely illicit sector of its economy. The U.S., for its part, would be able to secure for itself and its allies deeper access to Congolese mineral assets that are dominated by China. A U.S. State Department spokesperson said that in a declaration signed in Washington last month, Congo and Rwanda had committed to creating "transparent, formalized, and licit end-to-end mineral value chains (from mine to processed metal) that link both countries, in partnership with the U.S. government and U.S. investors." Details of the exact scale of investments, and who would be making them, are as yet unclear, but Boulos told Reuters last week that U.S. officials had engaged with "probably up to 30" U.S. investors about "doing business in Rwanda in the mining space," including downstream processing activities. He said separately that the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation - a body tasked with mobilising private capital to further U.S. foreign policy and national security goals, offering support like debt financing - would "provide full support on these transactions and investments". The region's long history of violence underscores the risk that any companies taking the leap could be exposed to losses. ROOT CAUSES The minerals projects alone won't halt a conflict that stretches back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the sources said. "A mining agreement cannot bring peace. These projects will take three, five or 10 years," another diplomat said. "There are immediate problems and root causes that need to be addressed." Congo, the U.N. and the U.S. have repeatedly accused Rwanda of profiting from the illegal exploitation of Congolese mineral resources, allegations Kigali denies. A previous attempt to foster deeper official mining cooperation between Rwanda and Congo four years ago failed. In June 2021, the two sides signed deals including a memorandum on the joint exploitation and commercialization of Congolese gold between state-owned Sakima and private Rwandan firm Dither. But Kinshasa suspended the deal in June 2022, citing Rwanda's alleged military support for M23 and the rebel group's capture of the strategic border town of Bunagana. Rwanda has denied backing M23 but acknowledges deploying "defensive measures" in eastern Congo against Rwandan Hutu militias. Analysts say the most commonly cited group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, no longer poses much of a threat. One diplomatic source said that from Kigali's point of view, Kinshasa is not a reliable negotiating partner. "The collapse of the Sakima deal bothered them," they said of Rwandan officials. "Neither country trusts each other," said William Millman, an independent consultant on the tantalum-niobium industry who has visited mines in both countries. "So unless you've got somebody with a big club, like the United States, they're not going to honour agreements." (Reporting by Sonia Rolley in Paris and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Additional reporting by Andrew Mills in Doha; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Jan Harvey)
