The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has proposed a strategic minerals agreement with Washington in exchange for military assistance, seeking to deepen ties with the United States amid growing instability in the region.
In a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Kinshasa has requested an urgent meeting between Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports. The letter, dated February 21, 2025, outlines the Congolese government’s willingness to grant exclusive access to key minerals and related infrastructure projects to American companies in exchange for U.S. military support.
Tshisekedi wants to discuss a pact that would give American industries privileged access to Congo’s vast deposits of critical minerals, including cobalt, lithium, tantalum, copper, and uranium—materials essential for defense, high-tech industries, and the global energy transition.
A group of African-American lobbyists advocating for Congolese interests stressed in the letter that these raw materials are crucial to U.S. industrial competitiveness and national security. The group argues that such a partnership would provide the U.S. with a unique opportunity to establish a secure and exclusive supply chain, reducing dependence on other global suppliers, notably China, which has long dominated the Congolese mining sector.
According to Bloomberg, this request underscores Tshisekedi’s increasing desperation as his country faces escalating security threats. Since January 2025, the M23 rebel group, backed by Rwandan forces, has launched a sweeping military offensive across eastern DRC, a region rich in strategic minerals.
In an email to Bloomberg, the U.S. State Department confirmed that the Trump administration is “open to discussions about partnerships” but indicated that such an agreement would not be immediate.
As Kinshasa seeks urgent foreign backing to counter the worsening crisis, Washington now faces a key geopolitical decision: whether to step up engagement in Central Africa or leave the region vulnerable to external powers and expanding armed conflicts.
