President: Congo will not ‘auction’ its mineral resources to the United States
Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, commended President Donald Trump for his efforts to put an end to the conflict, but he said Monday that a peace agreement struck with Rwanda in June that was mediated by the United States has not stopped fighting in the eastern Congo.
The peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo was mediated by U.S. mediators on June 27 and aims to stop Kigali’s alleged assistance of M23 rebels, according to U.N. experts and Washington.
According to the Trump administration, it is keen to put an end to the war that has claimed thousands of lives this year and draw in billions of dollars in Western investment to a region that is abundant in lithium, tantalum, gold, cobalt, and copper. This month is the deadline for putting some of the U.S. agreement into effect.
Even if he supports U.S. mediation, Tshisekedi told reporters in New York that it “does not mean that we will auction our mineral resources.”
“We will, as part of this partnership, be working in the development of the mining sectors, developing the value chain, developing infrastructure with a particular emphasis on energy,” he explained.
The nation has a strategic cooperation with China, according to Tshisekedi. We’re negotiating a comparable cooperation with the USA today. And our goal is to finish it,” he stated. He didn’t give much specifics regarding the collaborations.
The deal’s success, according to Congolese officials, depends on Rwanda stopping its assistance for M23, which Kinshasa claims is responsible for atrocities in the east. M23 has refuted claims of civilian attacks, and Rwanda has long denied aiding M23, claiming that its troops are acting in self-defense.
“(Rwanda) pretended to withdraw their troops, but actually, they are increasing their support to M23,” stated Tshisekedi.
In an unexpected meeting arranged by Qatar in March, Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, demanded a truce. As a result, Congo and M23 began direct negotiations, although they were unable to come to a peace deal by the deadline of August 18.
M23 claims it wants inmates released before further negotiations can begin. According to a Congolese government official who was personally involved in the negotiations, however, inmates could not be released until an agreement was completed, Reuters said.
According to Tshisekedi, there has been some progress toward a potential prisoner exchange.
“As a matter of fact, we are waiting for the Red Cross to give us a go ahead to proceed with the exchange of prisoners,” he continued.
