DRC and U.S. Sign Strategic Critical Minerals Partnership

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States have entered into a Strategic Partnership Agreement granting the U.S. preferential access to cobalt, copper, lithium, and coltan. Signed in December alongside a U.S.-brokered peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda, the agreement aims to reduce American reliance on China, which currently dominates rare earth mining and processing.

Felix Tshisekedi sought U.S. investment and military assistance to combat Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo, specifically in mineral-rich territories like the Rubaya coltan mine. During a February 4 Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington D.C., the partnership was framed as a way to secure supply chains through a new minerals trading bloc.

The deal faces significant opposition in Kinshasa. A group of lawyers and civil society leaders filed a lawsuit challenging the agreement's constitutionality, arguing it bypassed parliamentary approval and threatens national sovereignty. Archbishop Fulgence Muteba and opposition leader Moïse Katumbi accused the government of underselling the nation's wealth to preserve the current regime. In response, Mining Minister Louis Watum denied that the country is selling off resources, asserting that all investments must comply with the national mining code.