Us Open To Minerals Partnerships With Democratic Republic Of Congo

The United States is open to exploring critical minerals partnerships with Congo, the State Department said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday, after a Congolese senator contacted US officials to pitch a minerals-for-security deal. Democratic Republic of Congo , which is rich in cobalt, lithium and uranium among other minerals, has been fighting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who have seized swathes of its territory this year. Talk of a deal with the US which is also in discussions with Ukraine over a minerals pact has circulated in Kinshasa for weeks. The United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector that are aligned with the Trump Administrations America First Agenda, a State Department spokesperson said, noting that Congo held a significant share of the worlds critical minerals required for advanced technologies. The US has worked to boost US private sector investment in the DRC to develop mining resources in a responsible and transparent manner, the spokesperson said. Kinshasa has not publicly detailed a proposal, instead says it is seeking diversified partnerships. There is a desire for us to diversify our partners, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said last week, adding there were daily exchanges between Congo and the US If today American investors are interested in coming to the DRC, obviously they will find space, DRC has reserves that are available and it would also be good if American capital could invest here, he said. VIDEO M23 rebels continue offensive in North Kivu: