How Trump wants US companies to make money

The Trump administration heads an ambitious but controversial peace initiative aimed at ending a long -standing conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also attracted to the neighboring Rwanda.

His efforts for mediation are not a surprise, since D -Cong, a nation in the heart of Africa – is endowed with the mineral wealth that the United States requires to feed IT, and now AI, revolutions, most of which are currently going to China.

US President Donald Trump is expected to host the leaders of the Congo and Rwanda leaders – Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame – in the coming weeks to capture a peace agreement, which he welcomed as a “glorious triumph”, hoping to support it with the taxes that will

The Executive Director of the World Foundation for US Peace Foundation, Prof. Alex de Vaal, told the BBC that the Trump administration is promoting “a new model of peace, combining populist results with trade deals.”

“Trump also did this in Ukraine. He wants to make the glory strengthen his own political situation and provide minerals that are in America’s interest,” said Prof. de Waal.

However, he noted that “in Dr. Congo China has already clicked a lot of the minerals, so the US is catching up.”

He said so far US companies have been cautious to invest in Congo because of concerns about safety and the “moral danger” of trade in the so -called “blood minerals” – minerals, funding riots – but this can change as the Trump administration applies its peace model.

Prof. de Vaal said this could happen in other conflict -affected countries such as Sudan, where the Trump administration – along with Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt – is expected to join for mediation efforts after previous initiatives have failed.

He added that the Trump administration’s peace model cannot be rejected out of the hand, especially if it stops fighting, which has killed thousands of people and displaced millions of others in conflicts that have raged for more than 30 years in East Congo.

“Trump can make different countries talk and shake things,” said Prof. de Wal.

But Prof. Hanry Mostert, an academician by law on minerals at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, told the BBC that D -Cong “risks compromising sovereignty over his minerals”.

D -Congo can be locked in transactions for years, in exchange for unclear security guarantees, she said.

This is reminiscent of deals on “resources” pursued by China and Russia in numerous African countries, added Prof. Mostert.

She quoted an example of Angola, where China built infrastructure in exchange for oil.

“Even when oil prices rose, Angola could not get a greater value for that,” said Prof. Mostert.

The US State Department in 2023 stated that D Congo had approximately $ 25trn (£ 21.2trn) in mineral stocksS

This included cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese and tantalum – required to make electronic components used in computers, electric vehicles, mobile phones, wind turbines and military hardware.

“How long will it take Congo to give your cobalt to US investors? Will it be 20 or 50 years? What is the price for peace?” Prof. Mostert asked.

The Government spokesman for Congo Patrick Muya confirmed to the BBC Newsday program in March that his country wants to provide the United States with “some critical minerals” in exchange for a security deal.

The M23 Rebel Group launched a large offensive earlier this year, seizing huge areas of East Congo and Mineral Smuggling across the border to Rwanda, UN experts said in a report earlier this monthS

The minerals are then mixed with the production of Rwanda and “their subsequent exports of participants in a downward stream reached unprecedented levels,” the UN experts added.

Rwanda denies allegations that he supported the M23, although the UN has provided evidence that there are thousands of soldiers in Congo.

In what seems to be an attempt to deal with the issue of mineral smuggling, the peace transaction between the US between Dr. Congo and Rwanda provides for a “regional economic integration framework” between the two rival countries.

This will “ensure that illegal economic paths are blocked” and “mutually affordable partnerships and investment opportunities” created for “greater prosperity – especially for the population of the region”.

“We get a lot of mineral rights from Congo as part of it for the United States,” Trump said before The peace deal signed by representatives of the two governments on June 27 in WashingtonS

Dr. Congo’s researcher of South Africa-based Security Institute Think-Tank, Bram Vereilst, told the BBC that the US initiative is being tanded, with another being led by Qatar, a close ally of the United States.

G -n Verelst said the US focus was mainly on the regional dimension, while Qatar was on the internal problems between the Congo government and the M23 rebels, which created its own administration in the East after covering the regional capital, Goma.

Prof. Jason Sturns, a political scientist, based in Canada who specializes in the region, told the BBC that Qatar, like other oil -rich countries in the Gulf, is expanding in Africa, “to design power, influence, but also for searching for economic opportunities.”

He added that she became involved in mediation efforts at the request of Rwanda, which he perceived the United States as the benefit of D -Congo, something Washington denies.

Prof. Startnes said Qatar has “massive” economic interests in Rwanda, stating that the state in the Persian Gulf is building a new airport with many billion dollars in Kigali and has negotiated a 49% share in the national airline.

He explained that the United States and Qatar are working closely, but it was less than the ideal to have two processes because “you do not want to find yourself in a situation where there is a deal between Congo and Rwanda, but then Rwanda says,” We do not control the M23 “and the M23 continues to escalate (conflict).

“So it is very important that the two processes are tightly tied to each other as the actors are so closely connected,” added Professor Stark.

According to the Peace deal, Dr. Congo and Rwanda agreed to launch a “security coordination mechanism” within 30 days of the June 27 deal.

D -Verelst said it is expected to enter into force a fire on Tuesday, followed by the Government of D, Congo and M23, signing a complete peace agreement until August 18, upgrading the “Declaration of Principles” that they have already agreed.

The International Crisis Group based on Dr. Congo (ICG), analyst at Think-Tank Ansphore Sematumba, said the US and Qatar are receiving deals achieved in Record Time Since Trump’s raising in US presidency in January.

Mr. Sematumba stated that their intervention had come after various efforts for mediation, led by Africa, “failed to make the countries sign even a single document” of 2022.

“Regional players do not have the same lever to influence Kigali and Kinshasa,” he added.

“But between the signing of an agreement and the achievement of peace, the road can be long and in this case it will be,” warned G -N -Sematumba.

One of the key questions is whether the M23 will abandon the territory under its control, as required by the TSHISEKEDI government.

Sematumba said the M23 agreed to create a “state body” in Congo, but the rebels also stated that they would not give up a “single centimeter” of land.

“Personally, I believe that the transition should be gradual and there must be some joint management for certain areas. But it will all depend on the tact of mediators and their ability to break the ice,” added Mr. Sematumba.

He said the success of the Peace initiative also depends on what the agreement called “raising defense measures” by Rwanda, widely interpreted to mean the withdrawal of his troops from the Eastern D -Congo.

While Rwanda denies supporting the M23, she says she wants to delete FDLR, a militia born of those who have done the genocide since 1994 in Rwanda and then fled to the Congo. Rwanda accused the Congress army of working with FDLR.

The peace deal has spent the FDLR should be “neutralized”, but this has been trying several times in the last three decades.

“For Rwanda, the neutralization of FDLR is a prerequisite for the withdrawal of her forces, while D -C Congo says the two need to be achieved at the same time,” said G -N -Sematumba, saying that mediators will have to find a solution as these questions have led to the failure of previous peaceful initiatives.

“Only by following the different interpretations given by the sides of the signed texts can you feel all the difficulties ahead,” said Sematumba.

Prof. Mostert agreed that diplomacy in itself could not achieve peace and a broader initiative was needed.

“You build peace by transforming the pain. It takes more than diplomacy. It takes dialogue, decentralized participation and a decent worthy experience of people,” she said.

“That is why I think it is important that transactions and legislators remain aware of historical traumas, including decades of resource operation,” added Prof. Mostert.

So, if he wants the peace to hold long enough to earn US companies, Donald Trump may have to keep the pressure for a while.