US seeks Congo-Rwanda peace deal in 2 months: Reuters

The United States is actively pushing for a peace accord between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, with the aim of having both sign an agreement at the White House within two months. 

The initiative, led by U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior Africa adviser Massad Boulos, is designed to accompany the bilateral minerals pacts that are being ironed out with both nations, which could see billions of dollars of Western investments flow into the region, Reuters reported on Thursday evening. 

The agreement with the DRC is at a larger scale than the one with Rwanda, due to the country’s bigger size and resource base, though Rwanda has much resource potential, Boulos said.

The U.S.-DRC minerals deal, under discussion since early March, broadly focuses on a proposal to grant American companies mining rights in exchange for U.S. support in training and equipping the Congolese armed forces. DRC is currently the world’s largest cobalt producer and the leading copper producer in Africa. The country also produces nearly 70% of the world’s tantalum, extracted from coltan. Its eastern provinces hold significant reserves of tin, tungsten and additional coltan deposits.

Congo-DRC tensions

For decades, Congo has been at odds with neighbouring Rwanda due to ethnic tensions and control over the region’s natural resources. The conflict escalated earlier this year when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels attacked and seized control over parts of eastern Congo, including the strategic mining hub of Walikale. In mid-March when the rebels threatened the area, Alphamin Resources (TSXV: AFM) suspended its Bisie tin mine, sending tin prices up to a two-year high.

As part of the U.S. peace mediation process, both African nations are expected to submit separate drafts of a peace agreement on Friday, with a meeting scheduled in mid-May involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda to finalize the accord, according to Reuters.

For the peace agreement to succeed, Boulos said several key security concerns must be addressed: Rwanda must withdraw its troops and cease support for the M23 rebels, while the DRC must address Rwandan concerns with militias like the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

A multinational oversight committee, including the U.S., Qatar, France and Togo, is monitoring the progress of the peace deal, Boulos added.