United States establishes partnership with the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(Reuters) – The State Department said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday that the U.S. is willing to engage in a key mineral partnership with Congo, the State Department said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday after the Congolese senator contacted U.S. officials to ensure a security agreement on minerals.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, rich in cobalt, lithium and uranium among other minerals, has been fighting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have occupied its territory this year.
Talk about a deal with the United States – distributed in Kinshasa for weeks during discussions with Ukraine on a mineral agreement.
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A State Department spokesman said: “The United States is willing to discuss partnerships with the Trump administration’s U.S. a united state agenda,” noting that Congo is “a considerable portion of the world’s important minerals required by advanced technology.”
The spokesman said the U.S. worked to “promote U.S. private sector investment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to develop mining resources in a responsible and transparent manner.”
Instead of publicly detailing a proposal, Kinshasa said it is seeking a diverse partnership.
“We have a desire to diversify our partners,” Congo government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said last week.
“If today, American investors are interested in coming to the Democratic Republic of Congo, obviously they will find space … The Democratic Republic of Congo has available reserves, and it would be nice if U.S. capital can invest here,” he said.
Andre Wameso, deputy chief of staff of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, traveled to Washington earlier this month to hold talks on the partnership, two sources told Reuters.
On February 21, lobbyists representing Congo’s Senator Pierre Kanda Kalambayi sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials, inviting the U.S. to invest in Congo’s massive mineral resources in exchange for helping to enhance “regional stability.”
The initiative was not approved by the wider Congolese government or presidency, two Congolese officials said. But despite the beginning stages, the Congolese president, its mining department, and Washington sources, several moves are still underway.
The Congolese delegation is scheduled to meet with the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 6 but canceled the meeting in a short time, two sources said.
(Reported by Sonia Rolley and Portia Crowe; Editor of David Holmes)
