In a significant diplomatic development, Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday presided over the signing of a new pledge between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, aiming to work toward a peace agreement that could stabilize eastern Congo and unlock vital U.S. access to critical minerals.
The signing ceremony, held in Washington, signals the Trump administration’s shift toward a transactional foreign policy focused squarely on deals offering direct financial and strategic advantages to the United States.
Congo, the world’s largest producer of cobalt—a key mineral in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and smartphones—also boasts abundant deposits of gold, diamonds, and copper. Eastern Congo’s mineral wealth has long fueled brutal conflicts, displacing millions and contributing to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
Addressing the gathering, Rubio emphasized the economic opportunities that could flow from a successful peace accord.
“A durable peace will open the door for greater U.S. and broader Western investment, which will bring about economic opportunities and prosperity,” he said. Rubio added that the agreement would also “advance President Trump’s prosperity agenda for the world.”
U.S. Strategic Interests Drive New Diplomacy
The Trump administration’s involvement comes amid growing concerns over global supply chains for critical minerals. With competition intensifying, particularly with China, securing stable access to Congo’s mineral resources has become a key U.S. priority.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has been keen to secure a deal that could bring American investment into his country’s volatile east, offering better security conditions for U.S. companies in exchange for diplomatic support.
However, observers warn that deep-rooted militia violence, corruption, and human rights abuses surrounding Congo’s mining industry pose serious risks to U.S. involvement. Conflict in eastern Congo has raged almost continuously since the 1990s, leaving an estimated six million people dead and displacing more than seven million.
Today, over 100 armed groups continue to vie for control of resource-rich territories near the Rwandan border. This long-running instability stems in part from the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when ethnic Hutu extremists fled into Congo, fueling proxy wars between militias aligned with the Congolese and Rwandan governments.
A New Beginning or More of the Same?
During Friday’s ceremony, Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner expressed cautious optimism about the future.
“Today marks not an end but a beginning,” she said before signing the agreement, which commits both nations to draft a peace accord, improve security, create a welcoming environment for business, and facilitate the return of displaced civilians.
“The good news is there is hope for peace,” Wagner added. “The real news is peace must be earned.”
She also delivered a heartfelt message to civilians in eastern Congo who have borne the brunt of the violence:
“We know you are watching this moment with concern, with hope, and, yes, with doubt. You are entitled to actions that measure up to the suffering you have endured.”
Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe echoed the call for reconciliation and regional cooperation.
“We are now addressing the root causes of hostility between our countries, especially security and the return of refugees,” he said. “Very importantly, we are discussing how to build new regional economic value chains, including with American private sector investment.”
Trump Administration’s Transactional Foreign Policy
Friday’s agreement highlights a broader trend in the Trump administration’s foreign policy: pivoting away from traditional diplomacy and humanitarian aid in favor of deals with clear, immediate benefits to U.S. economic or security interests.
Three months into President Trump’s second term, thousands of U.S. aid and development workers have been dismissed, and programs promoting global development have been slashed. In another example, Washington is negotiating a minerals-for-support deal with Ukraine, tying future American aid to Kyiv’s willingness to grant the U.S. access to its mineral resources after Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos—who is also the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter Tiffany—played a key role in brokering U.S. involvement in the Congo peace efforts. Boulos has said the initiative could attract multibillion-dollar investments into Central Africa.
Civil Society Reacts With Hope and Skepticism
While the agreement has raised hopes, reaction among Congolese civil society groups remains mixed.
In Goma, a city currently affected by the activities of the powerful M23 rebel group, rights advocate Christophe Muisa expressed concerns that the U.S. could be the main beneficiary of the deal.
“The U.S. stands to gain the most from this arrangement,” Muisa said, warning that Congolese authorities should not “subcontract their security.”
Georges Kapiamba, president of the Congolese Association for Access to Justice, welcomed the potential for improved security and development but cautioned against the risk of government corruption.
“There is a real fear that proceeds from any mineral deals could be siphoned off by officials instead of benefiting the Congolese people,” Kapiamba said.
High Stakes for Washington and Central Africa
Analysts agree that the stakes are high. If successful, the U.S.-brokered deal could bring much-needed stability to one of Africa’s most troubled regions.
“If this deal works, it might finally stabilize eastern Congo,” said Gyude Moore, a former Liberian Cabinet minister now with the Center for Global Development.
“But in a region crawling with conflict and where political solutions have long failed, the risks are enormous.”
Liam Karr, Africa team lead at the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, noted that Washington must tread carefully to avoid the fate of previous international peace efforts.
“The bigger risk is that this becomes yet another failed intervention, like so many before it,” Karr said. “And this just kind of falls flat on its face, and doesn’t go anywhere.”
For now, the world watches cautiously as Congo and Rwanda, with U.S. backing, take tentative steps toward peace and prosperity in a region desperately in need of both.
