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Tungsten, tantalum and tin from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could soon be exported legally to neighbouring Rwanda for processing under a US brokered peace deal aimed at ending the escalating conflict in eastern DRC, three sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.
For years, Kinshasa has accused Kigali of plundering its vast mineral wealth to fund armed groups and profit from illicit trade, a claim Rwanda has consistently denied. Tensions between the two nations have deepened amid ongoing clashes between Congolese forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, whose influence in eastern DRC has grown significantly since January.
In a bid to stabilise the region and open it to Western investment, the United States is pushing for a peace agreement to be signed this summer. “The US had provided the first draft of a deal to both sides,” said Massad Boulos, Senior Adviser for Africa to President Donald Trump. The full terms of the proposal remain undisclosed.
Two diplomatic sources and a UN official briefed by US negotiators said the draft includes provisions allowing minerals from DRC’s artisanal mining zones to be refined and sold from Rwanda.“Their point of view is simple, If Rwanda can legitimately benefit from the DRC’s minerals through processing it will be less tempted to occupy its neighbour and plunder its minerals,” explained one Diplomat. Another Diplomat added, “For the DRC, industrialisation would increase its revenues, improve traceability and combat the armed groups that live off the miners.”
A DRC government spokesperson referred questions to the foreign ministry, which declined to comment. However, a Congolese official speaking on condition of anonymity insisted that any cooperation must be preceded by the withdrawal of Rwandan forces and their proxies, an allusion to M23. The official stressed that Rwanda must respect “our sovereignty over everything, including our minerals”.
Rwanda, in turn, stands to gain a substantial economic boost if a formal processing framework is implemented, potentially transforming what is currently seen as a shadowy sector into a legitimate pillar of its economy. The United States hopes to secure better access to DRC’s critical minerals, resources increasingly vital to green technologies and presently dominated by Chinese interests.
A spokesperson for the US State Department confirmed that both countries had signed a declaration in Washington last month, committing to create “transparent, formalised and licit end-to-end mineral value chains (from mine to processed metal) that link both countries in partnership with the US government and US investors.”
While the scale and specifics of any investments are still unclear, Boulos said US officials had “engaged with probably up to 30 US investors” about opportunities in Rwanda mining, particularly in downstream processing. He also confirmed that the US International Development Finance Corporation would “provide full support on these transactions and investments.”
Despite these ambitions, experts remain cautious. “A mining agreement cannot bring peace. These projects will take three, five or 10 years. There are immediate problems and root causes that need to be addressed,” said another Diplomat. The DRC, the UN and the US have all accused Rwanda of benefitting from the illegal exploitation of Congolese minerals, a charge Kigali continues to deny. A previous effort to promote cooperation between the two countries fell apart after initially promising signs. In June 2021, state owned Congolese miner Sakima signed a memorandum with Rwandan firm Dither on the joint exploitation and commercialisation of DRC gold.
However, the agreement was suspended a year later by Kinshasa, citing Rwanda’s alleged military support for M23 and the group’s seizure of the strategic border town of Bunagana. Although Rwanda denies backing M23, it acknowledges taking “defensive measures” against Rwandan Hutu militias operating in the region. Analysts, however, argue that the primary group in question, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) no longer poses a significant threat.
From Kigali’s perspective, Kinshasa’s decision to walk away from the Sakima deal has undermined trust. “The collapse of the Sakima deal bothered them. Neither country trusts the other,” said a diplomatic source. Independent consultant William Millman, who has worked with tantalum and niobium producers in both countries, echoed this sentiment, “So unless you’ve got somebody with a big club such as the US, they’re not going to honour agreements.”
