Donald Trump has been offered a minerals-for-security deal by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), providing access to materials needed by America’s tech industry in return for help to defeat M23 rebels.
Felix Tshisekedi, the DRC president, proposed the US leader gain access to cobalt, lithium, copper and tantalum for a “formal security pact” to help defeat the Rwandan-backed militia.
He told Fox News that a partnership would allow the DRC to extract and process its critical minerals to benefit US companies, while also building up the African country’s defences.
The rebels on Thursday were reported to have also taken the mining hub of Walikale in an area that contains gold mines and the world’s third largest mine for the tin ore cassiterite.
Mr Tshisekedi’s proposal has been seen as an appeal to Mr Trump’s America-first deal-making instincts when deciding foreign policy.
Mr Tshisekedi said: “I think that the US is able to use either pressure or sanctions to make sure that armed groups who are in the DRC can be kept at bay.”
M23 fighters have captured significant parts of the mineral-rich eastern DRC in recent months, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has already been in talks with Washington about offering up his country’s natural minerals to gain American protection as part of a possible ceasefire deal with Russia.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said that he had also discussed “working with Kazakhstan to deepen economic ties in the energy, telecommunications and critical minerals sectors” in a call with Murat Nurtleu, the country’s foreign minister.
In the DRC, Mr Tshisekedi wrote to Mr Trump last month offering mining opportunities for the new United States sovereign wealth fund, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The letter said: “Your election has ushered in the golden age for America.
“Our partnership would provide the US with a strategic advantage by securing critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper and tantalum from the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Such minerals are widely used in components and batteries for high-tech devices such as laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles, setting off a scramble between America and China to secure supplies.
Access to natural resources has become a key theme of Mr Trump’s foreign policy since his inauguration two months ago.
As well as discussions with Kyiv over minerals, US talks with Iraq have focused on resuming oil flows for US companies that have been blocked by a dispute between Baghdad, the Kurdish authorities and Turkey.
Mr Trump has also set his sights on Greenland, a Danish possession, largely because of its reserves of rare-earth minerals.
The letter gave no detail about what specific military backing the DRC wanted from Washington.
The M23 push has driven the Congolese army out of much of North and South Kivu provinces and refugees fleeing the area have said troops have often abandoned positions without a fight.
The DRC had attempted to bolster defences around Goma by employing Romanian mercenaries, but they failed to stop the fall of the city and were captured and later released to Rwanda.
Mr Tshisekedi is also reportedly in negotiations with Erik Prince, a Trump ally who founded the Blackwater military contractor company, to help the Congolese government collect and secure taxes from mining operations.
Discussions centre around Mr Prince helping the DRC crack down on fiscal evasion from mining producers and exporters, including by providing security for tax collectors.
