Congo President Meets U.S. Lawmaker to Discuss Security and Mineral Investment Opportunities

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, recently met with U.S. lawmaker Ronny Jackson to discuss the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and explore potential opportunities for U.S. investment, according to a statement from Congo’s presidency. This meeting came one week after the U.S. expressed interest in forming partnerships with Congo related to critical minerals. In February, a Congolese lawmaker reached out to U.S. officials with a proposal for a minerals-for-security agreement.
Jackson was referred to as a “special envoy” representing U.S. President Donald Trump during the discussion. Tshisekedi is currently dealing with a rebellion from the Rwanda-backed M23 group in eastern Congo, and his government is preparing to send a delegation to peace talks in Angola scheduled for Tuesday.
Congo is rich in mineral resources such as cobalt, lithium, and uranium, but the government has not publicly shared specifics regarding a deal with the U.S., only mentioning that it is seeking a variety of partnerships. The statement released on Sunday did not explicitly mention minerals.
Jackson emphasized the importance of creating a peaceful environment to encourage U.S. companies to invest in Congo, stating, “We want to work so that American companies can come and invest and work in the DRC.”
The conflict in eastern Congo, which dates back to the aftermath of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the battle for control over Congo’s mineral wealth, has significantly escalated this year. The M23 group now controls the two largest cities in eastern Congo. Rwanda has been accused of supporting the Tutsi-led M23 rebels, though it denies these claims.
Byron Cabrol, a senior Africa analyst, noted last week that attracting U.S. mining companies to invest in Congo would be challenging due to issues like poor infrastructure, instability, corruption, and the dominance of Chinese firms in the sector.