₦airaland Forum

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.

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/congo-offers-trump-minerals-deal-144141338.html

Untapped minerals in Kongo are estimated to be worth about 24 Trillion USD. This exclusive deal could give US heavy financial advantages and make Congo one of the most developed countries in Africa due to the economic stability and security.

Sounds like a smart move. Rather than die poor on top of minerals that you’ll never get to enjoy because of foreign backed rebels, you might as well offer the minerals to the US in exchange for security and money to develop your country. This looks even better than the Ukrainian deal. The US won’t need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and not get their money back.

If at all interested, Trump will likely make mineral deal with both sides for "peace".
He will ask Congo to forget all the lands it has lost.

^^^
^^^
Ogogoro analysts. How will minerals, about to be permanently lost to rebels, when being exchanged help develop DRC? It can help preserve DRC and send a strong message to the advancing rebel that they cant easily invade to take minerals using flimsy excuses of marginalisation.

They will extract, destroy and you will beg them to go away. African leaders never learn. The leaders are busy looting their own resources, while the rebels loot in the areas possessed by them.

Fix your country.

Why not ask Nigeria for help ,you have weak soldiers not lack of weapons, once they hear sounds of artillery power, they start to panic and prepare to run.

What kind of course is following some African I don't just understand.

Everyone is running toward independence and sovereignty, this one is selling is country to colonialism and slavery.

The cancelation of USAID was a chance for many countries to take their destinies in their hands.

Also it is a very obvious and popular fact that American military does not give you peace, in fact they give you the opposite, your country will remain in turmoil for as long as you still have minerals, they will make sure of it.


You will loose control of you government, your country, your sovereignty.

I guess the Congolese are adicted to being slaves and have missed it that freedom and independence is torture to them.

Nothing changes as the current war mongers causing the problems and funding the gorilla warfare are the same.

Isreal and/or American.

givedemwotowoto:
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/congo-offers-trump-minerals-deal-144141338.html

givedemwotowoto:
Untapped minerals in Kongo are estimated to be worth about 24 Trillion USD. This exclusive deal could give US heavy financial advantages and make Congo one of the most developed countries in Africa due to the economic stability and security.

Sounds like a smart move. Rather than die poor on top of minerals that you’ll never get to enjoy because of foreign backed rebels, you might as well offer the minerals to the US in exchange for security and money to develop your country. This looks even better than the Ukrainian deal. The US won’t need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and not get their money back.

And you think US will pay them money for the minerals?
All US will do is build military base in there country and give them the illusion of security while they take their minerals. US will not give them shisi, after all that's the deal, security-for-mineral. So in other words they will Ramain even poorer.

And the US will ensure that peace never returns to that country, even when the mineral finish they will just become another military outpost for US.
After all once there is peace there will be no need for the US again, will there?!
Otherwise you will what happens to France in Africa happen to them.

Hehehe marine for copper and lithium.

givedemwotowoto:
Untapped minerals in Kongo are estimated to be worth about 24 Trillion USD. This exclusive deal could give US heavy financial advantages and make Congo one of the most developed countries in Africa due to the economic stability and security.

Sounds like a smart move. Rather than die poor on top of minerals that you’ll never get to enjoy because of foreign backed rebels, you might as well offer the minerals to the US in exchange for security and money to develop your country. This looks even better than the Ukrainian deal. The US won’t need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and not get their money back.

Really? Why don't we ever learn from history?

Xisnin:
Trump will likely make deal with both sides for "peace".
He will ask Congo to forget all the lands it has lost.

I see what you're doing but it's a poor attempt at trolling
While Trump can be called out for his transactional approach to Ukraine, you can't lay all the blame on him. Not like he cares anyway
The situation with DR Congo is different though. Rwanda is the passive aggressor here and they get nothing. It'll all be between USA and Congo

givedemwotowoto:
Untapped minerals in Kongo are estimated to be worth about 24 Trillion USD. This exclusive deal could give US heavy financial advantages and make Congo one of the most developed countries in Africa due to the economic stability and security.

Sounds like a smart move. Rather than die poor on top of minerals that you’ll never get to enjoy because of foreign backed rebels, you might as well offer the minerals to the US in exchange for security and money to develop your country. This looks even better than the Ukrainian deal. The US won’t need to spend hundreds of billions of dollars and not get their money back.

Develop which country? Which African leader is interested in developing his country? How is calling US to milk your country dry better than the Ukrainian deal? Na WA o!

Agbegbaorogboye:
I see what you're doing but it's a poor attempt at trolling
While Trump can be called out for his transactional approach to Ukraine, you can't lay all the blame on him. Not like he cares anyway
The situation with DR Congo is different though. Rwanda is the passive aggressor here and they get nothing. It'll all be between USA and Congo

It doesn't matter who the aggressor is.
Rwanda already seized rich mineral lands from Congo and that's what Trump wants.
He will get mineral deals from both sides in exchange for a ceasefire.

Xisnin:
It doesn't matter who the aggressor is.
Rwanda already seized rich mineral lands from Congo and that's what Trump wants.
He will get mineral deals from both sides in exchange for a ceasefire.

You still can't blame him
He didn't start the war

Agbegbaorogboye:
You still can't blame him
He didn't start the war

Where did I state that he started the war?

I merely point out his most likely move and I don't understand
why you are angry at a move that Trump would consider a "great" deal.

Xisnin:
Where did I state that he started the war?

I merely point out his most likely move and I don't understand
why you are angry at a move that Trump would consider a "great" deal.

I'm not angry
It's a shameful thing for Africa to invite America to help settle its issues
It simply shows that AU is useless

Nice

F

He that wears the shoe knows we're it hurts more

F

Good deal for US and kongo too

Wahala

ADAMUdaCOWBOY:
Develop which country? Which African leader is interested in developing his country? How is calling US to milk your country dry better than the Ukrainian deal? Na WA o!

I wonder o...

Help me ask him o

See how APC has been dealing with Nigerians since 2015
Most terrorised, less happiest country.

Go to Google and search violent kidnapping, you will see Nigeria popping up all over the place.

Even countries that are officially at war/invaded don't allow all kinds of hideous crimes to be perpetrated at this unimaginable level

Congo has been ruled by a litany of buffoons since the days of Mobutu. This fat one here is just as dense as they come. Together with Kabila who handed over power to him, they failed to build up the Congolese army in a way that they could contain a small Rwanda.

Their failure to do so has led to an endless war in Congo being financed by western coubteies/companies through Rwanda. Milkions have died. Now he wants to go to the west to help him fight western proxies! Does that make sense? Reminds you of when Jonathan and later Buhari, asked the United States army to use their drone base in Niger to help monitor boko haram. That was in the face of mounting evidence that boko haram was nothing but a state destabilising effort by NATO countries. Disaster followed.

Tshekedi and his predecessors should have gone to the Russians and Chinese to help them develop a serious fighting force to counter what was going on in the Congo. If they curtailed corruption and invested more in their military, they wouldn't have been this vulnerable. But again, almost every country in the developing world are looting the Congo as we speak. Not sure the Russians or the Chinese are not knee-deep involved too on this one..

ElSudani:
Really? Why don't we ever learn from history?

What are we supposed to learn from history? It seems you didn’t read the story. The country is under war, rebels backed by Rwanda have overrun his country and are tapping the minerals and making money to finance their war. They have a better deal with the US

ADAMUdaCOWBOY:
Develop which country? Which African leader is interested in developing his country? How is calling US to milk your country dry better than the Ukrainian deal? Na WA o!

So you ignored the part where Rwanda backed rebels are already milking his country and using the money to finance the war against them? Be practical. We’re talking reality here.

This is the country with the lowest median iQ range.


A country that has been in turmoil since independence .

A country with the highest reserves of natural resources but since its inception as a independent nation it has suffered from one prolonged conflict to another.


Instead of using your natural wealth to seek for peace and prosperity, these humanoid apes are asking for more weapons to kill themselves over rights of which European and Jewish corporation can rape them.

Foolish idiots

Agbegbaorogboye:
I'm not angry
It's a shameful thing for Africa to invite America to help settle its issues
It simply shows that AU is useless

AU hasn't solved the Sudan crisis. The mineral resources are the cause of the war.

The minerals are useless when you don't have the technology or the means to extract them without causing deaths and environmental disasters.

Can you name one technology or innovation that was developed by a Nigerian University?

nlfpmod

MadamExcellency:
AU hasn't solved the Sudan crisis. The mineral resources are the cause of the war.

The minerals are useless when you don't have the technology or the means to extract them without causing deaths and environmental disasters.

Can you name one technology or innovation that was developed by a Nigerian University?

AU's existence should thus be questioned

Those minerals are now more or less a curse to Congo

Imagine fighting over a mineral you don't have any idea how to extract

What is wrong with africa

Bad