After decades of conflict between two African countries, President Trump and an adviser said the two sides, with U.S. help, had created an agreement that was now being finalized.

During talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Washington on May 21, 2025, Donald Trump screened a video meant to support unfounded claims of the "persecution" of white farmers. This included aerial footage showing white crosses lining a road filled with a convoy of vehicles.

The U.S. is pushing for a deal aimed at stabilizing eastern Congo while securing access to the region’s minerals. Washington should think bigger.

Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.

In the middle of a trade war, Congo is trying to woo Trump’s White House without risking critical investment from Beijing.

Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in Congo, at the artisanal Rubaya mining site, hundreds of men labor by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology.

Charities are warning that without government support for the African country’s artisanal mining sector, private investment could bring negative consequences.

The withdrawal from Congo has been mired in controversy, amid media reports alleging that SADC is neglecting soldiers still left behind in the DRC.