{"id":96745,"date":"2025-07-29T11:03:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T15:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=96745"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:36:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:36:57","slug":"congolese-critical-minerals-american-peace","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/congolese-critical-minerals-american-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Congo and Critical Minerals: What Are the Costs of America\u2019s Peace?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 pt-24 pb-32 md:pt-28 md:pb-44 lg:pt-36 lg:pb-60 xl:pt-48 xl:pb-72\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/congolese-minerals-miners-1200x900-1.jpg); background-position: 50% 50%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Congo and Critical Minerals: What Are the Costs of America\u2019s Peace?\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"absolute bottom-0 w-full z-[1]\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 1280 312\">\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M26.412 315.608c-.602-.268-6.655-2.412-13.524-4.769a1943.84 1943.84 0 0 1-14.682-5.144l-2.276-.858v-5.358c0-4.876.086-5.358.773-5.09 1.674.643 21.38 5.84 34.646 9.109 14.682 3.59 28.935 6.858 45.936 10.449l9.874 2.089H57.322c-16.4 0-30.31-.16-30.91-.428ZM460.019 315.233c42.974-10.074 75.602-19.88 132.443-39.867 76.16-26.791 152.063-57.709 222.385-90.663 16.7-7.823 21.336-10.074 44.262-21.273 85.004-41.688 134.719-64.193 195.291-88.413 66.55-26.577 145.2-53.584 194.27-66.765C1258.5 5.626 1281.34 0 1282.24 0c.17 0 .34 27.596.34 61.3v61.299l-2.23.375c-84.7 13.718-165.93 35.955-310.736 84.931-46.494 15.753-65.427 22.076-96.166 32.15-9.102 3-24.814 8.198-34.989 11.574-107.543 35.954-153.008 50.422-196.626 62.639l-6.74 1.876-89.126-.054c-78.135-.054-88.782-.161-85.948-.857ZM729.628 312.875c33.229-10.985 69.248-23.523 127.506-44.207 118.705-42.223 164.596-57.709 217.446-73.302 2.62-.75 8.29-2.465 12.67-3.751 56.19-16.772 126.94-33.597 184.17-43.671 5.07-.91 9.66-1.768 10.22-1.875l.94-.161v170.236l-281.28-.054H719.968l9.66-3.215ZM246.864 313.411c-65.041-2.251-143.047-12.11-208.432-26.256-18.375-3.965-41.73-9.538-42.202-10.074-.171-.214-.257-21.38-.214-47.046l.129-46.618 6.654 3.697c57.313 32.043 118.491 56.531 197.699 79.143 40.313 11.521 83.459 18.058 138.669 21.059 15.584.857 65.685.857 81.14 0 33.744-1.876 61.306-4.93 88.396-9.806 6.396-1.126 11.634-1.983 11.722-1.929.255.375-20.48 7.769-30.999 11.038-28.592 8.948-59.288 15.646-91.873 20.147-26.36 3.59-50.015 5.627-78.35 6.698-15.584.59-55.209.59-72.339-.053Z\"><\/path>\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M-3.066 295.067 32.06 304.1v9.033H-3.066v-18.066Z\"><\/path>\n            <\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p>This article is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/congo-and-critical-minerals-what-are-the-costs-of-americas-peace-260567\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/iis\/people\/evelyn-namakula\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evelyn Namakula Mayanja<\/a> is an assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies at Carleton University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ad-auris-iframe\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none;\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"400\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/audio.adauris.ai\/v2\/widget\/RvjICRaqgSFBJozV1NoK\/SqeLUDyrVplq1QQ3azxD?distribution=true\" width=\"100%\" data-project-id=\"RvjICRaqgSFBJozV1NoK\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In March 2025, President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offered the country&#8217;s critical mineral reserves to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/congo-offers-us-europe-minerals-in-exchange-for-peace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">United States and Europe<\/a> in exchange for security and stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, the March 23 (M23) <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/m23s-capture-of-goma-is-the-latest-chapter-in-eastern-congos-long-running-war-248833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">militia insurgency<\/a> was unleashing violence: killing civilians, committing sexual violence, displacing communities and looting mineral resources. Since 1996, eastern Congo has been engulfed in wars and armed conflicts driven by regional powers and more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/article\/war-returns-democratic-republic-congo-what-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">120 armed groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S.-brokered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/peace-agreement-between-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-the-republic-of-rwanda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">peace agreement<\/a> between Rwanda and the DRC raises critical questions: Is this a genuine path to sustainable peace, or a continuation of U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s strategy to secure access to critical minerals through coercive diplomacy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"global-arms-race-for-congolese-critical-minerals\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Global arms race for Congolese critical minerals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The global shift toward renewable energy, digital infrastructure and military modernization has sparked a geopolitical scramble for critical and rare earth minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In early 2025, Trump signed a series of executive orders that introduced aggressive and imperial-style tactics to <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/11067613\/donald-trump-tariffs-critical-minerals-canada-annexation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">secure access to mineral wealth<\/a>. He <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/an-american-military-invasion-of-canada-no-longer-unthinkable-but-highly-unlikely-251959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">threatened Canada<\/a> with annexation and tariffs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/05\/04\/world\/greenland-annexation-threat-trump-nbc-interview-intl-hnk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">demanded access to Greenland&#8217;s resources<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/05\/01\/world\/what-we-know-about-trumps-ukraine-mineral-deal-intl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">linked U.S. support for Ukraine<\/a> to access to its mineral reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DRC&#8217;s offer must be viewed through this lens of global resource competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"congolese-critical-minerals-and-wealth\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Congolese Critical Minerals and Wealth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The DRC holds some of the world&#8217;s richest deposits of critical minerals and metals. A 2012 article estimated the value of Congo&#8217;s untapped mineral wealth at US$24 trillion, a figure nearing the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jec.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/republicans\/gdp-update\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first-quarter 2025 GDP<\/a> of $29.962 trillion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DRC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0892687520302703\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">produces 70 per cent<\/a> of the world&#8217;s cobalt, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining-technology.com\/data-insights\/copper-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ranks fourth in copper<\/a>, sixth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trade.gov\/country-commercial-guides\/democratic-republic-congo-mining-and-minerals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">in industrial diamonds<\/a> and also possesses vast reserves of nickel and lithium, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/avz-minerals-resume-proceedings-against-drc-over-disputed-lithium-deposit-2025-06-24\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Manono deposit<\/a> expected to yield 95,170 tonnes of crude lithium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the struggle to control these resources has fuelled a <a href=\"https:\/\/globalwitness.org\/en\/press-releases\/new-investigation-suggests-eu-trader-traxys-buys-conflict-minerals-from-drc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cycle of armed violence<\/a>, displacement and exploitation. Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usip.org\/publications\/2002\/09\/peace-agreements-democratic-republic-congo-drc-rwanda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">several peace agreements<\/a>, peace and stability remain elusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"americas-interests-in-congo\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">America&#8217;s interests in Congo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>U.S. involvement in Congo stretches back to the Cold War, when it played a role in the <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S0034670500023949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba<\/a>, Congo&#8217;s first elected prime minister who sought economic sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1996, the U.S. was accused of backing Rwanda and Uganda in the initial invasion of eastern Congo. A U.S. diplomat, &#8220;Mr. Hankins,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefreelibrary.com\/How+America+ran%2c+and+still+runs%2c+the+Congo+war%3a+America%27s+covert...-a082064516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">was quoted in Goma saying<\/a>: &#8220;I am here \u2026to represent American interests.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024, President Joe Biden met Tshisekedi to advance the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lobitocorridor.org\/history-background\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lobito Corridor<\/a>, a strategic trade route to counter China&#8217;s dominance in the region. Chinese companies currently control around 80 per cent of Congo&#8217;s copper market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Trump signed the 2025 peace agreement, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RNkPUaIqHWw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">openly stated<\/a> the U.S. would gain &#8220;a lot of mineral rights \u2026 foreign trade and investment from the regional critical mineral supply chains.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"u-s-brokered-peace-deal\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">U.S.-brokered peace deal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The deal, however, prioritizes America&#8217;s access to minerals over the well-being of Congolese citizens. Historically, Congo&#8217;s mineral wealth has enriched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=swEDLOAKkiE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">elites and foreign powers<\/a> while leaving its people impoverished and vulnerable. The new agreement could entrench existing inequalities and inflame tensions further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/healthcare-pharmaceuticals\/usaid-cancelled-rape-survivor-kits-congo-conflict-erupted-2025-07-01\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut off aid<\/a> for war survivors, including emergency medical kits and antiretrovirals for rape victims, undermining humanitarian efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crucially, the agreement overlooks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The root causes and drivers of conflict at national, regional and international levels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The role of Rwanda and Uganda, whose militaries and intelligence services have long been implicated in supporting groups like M23. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has referred to M23 as &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mkainerugaba\/status\/1641749214840356865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">our brothers<\/a>&#8221; and threatened military action in Congo.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The voices of Congolese civil society, war survivors and the public, who were excluded from the negotiation process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>State fragility and institutional collapse \u2014 major enablers of protracted violence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The grievances of Hutu and Tutsi communities in the DRC, deeply rooted in colonial and regional politics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The presence of more than 120 armed groups, many of them proxies for foreign powers engaging in what some scholars <a href=\"https:\/\/globalinitiative.net\/analysis\/rwanda-drc-peace-deal-m23-organized-crime-geocriminality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">call &#8220;geocriminality.&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Between January and February 2025 alone, more than 7,000 people <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/24\/africa\/7000-killed-in-fighting-in-drc-intl\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">were killed<\/a> in the DRC. The United Nations and several human rights organizations have documented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/countries\/africa\/2010-drc-mapping-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mass atrocities<\/a>, including crimes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.genocidewatch.com\/single-post\/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-country-report-march-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">genocidal magnitude<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"a-path-toward-real-peace\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A path toward real peace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The peace agreement fails to demand justice for crimes committed against the Congolese people. Nobel Peace laureate <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DenisMukwege\/status\/1936145981684564278\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Denis Mukwege condemned the deal<\/a> for &#8220;rewarding aggression, legitimizing the plundering of Congo&#8217;s natural resources, and sacrificing justice for a fragile peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also ignores the roles of international mining corporations and external entities that have long profited from Congo&#8217;s instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>True and lasting peace in the DRC cannot be imposed from the outside. U.S.-led mineral extraction without justice risks deepening the crisis. Since 1999, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/en\/story\/2025\/02\/1159766\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UN peacekeepers have been deployed in the Congo <\/a>, yet violence continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sustainable peace will require:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An end to impunity;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thorough investigations into war crimes;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Regional truth-telling processes;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Justice and reparations for victims;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And most importantly, inclusion of Congolese voices in shaping their future.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Without these commitments, the U.S. risks replicating a long history of exploitation, trading in minerals while ignoring the human cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>_<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/\">Carleton Newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/260567\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In March 2025, President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offered the country\u2019s critical mineral reserves to the United States and Europe in exchange for security and stability. At the time, the March 23 (M23) militia insurgency was unleashing violence: killing civilians, committing sexual violence, displacing communities and looting mineral resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":96748,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[1623],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-96745","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-expert-perspectives"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/96745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/96745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96754,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/96745\/revisions\/96754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=96745"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=96745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}