Congo will not 'auction' mineral resources to the US, president says

23/9/2025 12:22

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said on Monday that a U.S.-mediated peace deal signed with Rwanda in June has not calmed fighting in eastern Congo, though he thanked President Donald Trump for attempting to end the conflict.



On June 27, U.S. mediators brokered the peace deal between Congo and Rwanda aimed at ending the support that Washington and U.N. experts say Kigali provides M23 rebels.



The Trump administration has said it is eager to end fighting that has killed thousands this year and attract billions of dollars of Western investment to a region rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium. The deadline to implement part of the U.S. deal is this month.



Despite his support for U.S. mediation, it "does not mean that we will auction our mineral resources," Tshisekedi told reporters in New York.



"We will, as part of this partnership, be working in the development of the mining sectors, developing the value chain, developing infrastructure with a particular emphasis on energy," he said.