The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) shared with the U.S. administration a list of state-backed projects for investment consideration in which critical minerals like copper, manganese and lithium are being mined, according to Reuters. The Central African nation had already announced plans to ship 100,000 metric tons of copper to the U.S. by the end of January. The move operationalizes a strategic partnership between the U.S. and the DRC, one conceived alongside the peace deal the U.S. helped broker between the DRC and Rwanda. The US signed a series of bilateral agreements with the two African countries, which U.S. President Donald Trump touted not just as a diplomatic victory but also an economic win for the U.S. “Today, the United States is also signing our own bilateral agreements with the Congo and Rwanda that will unlock new opportunities for the United States to access critical minerals and provide economic benefits for everybody,” Trump said at the peace deal signing ceremony. Since February 2025, parts of eastern DRC along the Rwanda-DRC frontier have been under the control of M23, an armed group allegedly backed by Rwanda. This was a major escalation of a long-simmering dispute in the politically volatile part of the Great Lakes region. In response, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi requested assistance from his U.S. counterpart, who mediated a peace deal, the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, between the two countries. “We’ll be involved. We’re sending some of our biggest and greatest companies over to the two countries, and…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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