The US and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in talks over a minerals deal in the resource-rich central African nation, according to a senior US official.
“You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed the Congo’s proposal. I am happy to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development,” US senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, said after meeting Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa.
Mr Boulos, who is Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law, did not expand further on the proposals, but did indicate the involvement of US firms.
“Rest assured, American companies are operating transparently and will stimulate local economies,” he said.
DR Congo, home to vast natural reserves like lithium which is essential for battery and electric vehicle production, has been battling Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have seized large areas of territory this year.
Tshisekedi believes US involvement in extracting the minerals could help quell the violence that has plagued the east of the country for nearly 30 years.
Currently, DR Congo’s mineral wealth is largely dominated by Chinese firms.
Aside from security reasons, there are also economic motivations for pursuing the deal.
Joseph Bangakya, a Congolese lawmaker and president of a DR Congo-US parliamentary friendship group, told the Reuters news agency that legislators were preparing a bill to improve the country’s business climate.
“It is essential for our country to achieve a trade agreement with the United States,” he said, adding that Washington was looking to support peace efforts in eastern DR Congo.
“We want a lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC,” Bangakya said. “There can be no economic prosperity without security.”
On Tuesday, the US State Department said the aim of Mr Boulos’ trip was to “advance efforts for durable peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and to promote US private sector investment in the region”.
Speaking after his meeting with the Congolese president, Mr Boulos said they had also discussed the country’s conflict.
“The US remains determined to support the ending of the conflict,” he said, adding that they want an outcome which “affirms the territorial integrity of the DRC”.
Mr Boulos, who has served as Washington’s senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs since December, is also set to visit Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
He has business interests in Africa, including in a Nigeria-based company that distributes motor vehicles and equipment in West Africa.
