- A minerals summit hosted by the U.S. this month marks an acceleration of the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce its dependence on China for critical minerals, including by sealing deals with mineral-rich African countries.
- Guinea and Morocco signed separate agreements with the U.S. during the summit in Washington, even as an earlier deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo, signed in December, came under greater scrutiny at home.
- The DRC, which holds more than 70% of global cobalt reserves, has emerged as a key strategic partner for the U.S., but civil society group warns that the new mineral deal prioritizes geopolitics over human rights, environmental protection and transparency.
- Ongoing insecurity in the eastern DRC raises questions about whether Trump’s approach linking U.S. peace-building efforts to economic gains will bring stability to the region.
On Feb 4, the U.S. hosted the Critical Minerals Ministerial, a summit bringing together delegations from more than 50 countries, including seven African countries, with the aim of securing access to the critical minerals used in everything from electric vehicles to semiconductors.
Among the countries attending the summit was Guinea, a West African nation rich in bauxite and iron deposits. Its delegation, represented by the minister of mines, Bouna Sylla, signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on Feb. 5. Morocco also signed an MoU with the U.S. at the summit, joining a handful of other African countries that have done so in recent months. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed partnership agreements with the U.S. in December.
The deals marked an acceleration in U.S. efforts to gain access to and exploit critical minerals, an industry dominated by China. According to the International Energy Agency, in 2024, most of the global processing of copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth minerals was done by China.
Without naming China, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a press meeting on Feb 4, that the critical minerals supply is “heavily concentrated in the hands of one country. And that lends itself to, at worst-case scenario, being used as a tool of leverage in geopolitics.”
He added: “I think there’s a growing global recognition that we need to have supply chains for critical minerals that are reliable and diverse across the world.”
In Washington, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and his delegation met with, among others, members of the U.S. Senate and the president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank). In the run-up to the Ministerial on Feb. 2, U.S. President Donald Trump also launched the Vault project, which aims to establish a U.S. strategic reserve of critical minerals backed by an initial $10 billion financing package from EXIM Bank.
According to the DRC president’s office, discussions focused on the commercialization of the country’s critical minerals, local processing, as well as projects linked to the Lobito Corridor in Angola, a railway and infrastructure corridor that connects the Atlantic port of Lobito in Angola to the copper- and cobalt-rich Katanga province in the DRC and the copper-producing belt in Zambia.
The high-level meeting in Washington builds on the bilateral strategic agreement signed by the U.S. and the DRC last December. That deal gives the U.S. greater access to minerals mined there and facilitates increased investment by U.S. companies in the DRC’s mining sector. This economic deal was reached alongside the U.S.-mediated peace agreement between the DRC and Rwandan governments.
Since February 2025, parts of the eastern DRC, particularly North Kivu province, have come under the control of M23, an armed group allegedly backed by Rwanda. This represented a major escalation of a long-simmering conflict in the politically volatile Great Lakes region. In response, President Tshisekedi requested assistance from his U.S. counterpart, who brokered a peace deal, the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, between the two countries.
“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 in December.
Critics, however, are wary of this approach to foreign policy that ties peace in the region to economic gains for the U.S.
As a sign of protest, in January 2026 a group of DRC lawyers and human rights defenders brought the matter before the country’s Constitutional Court. They allege that, as this international agreement could affect national laws, it requires approval by the DRC parliament or to be put to a referendum before being signed. According to them, since this process was not followed, the signing of the agreement constitutes a violation of the DRC constitution.
Others argue that the deal shortchanges the people of the DRC and offers little in terms of environmental safeguards.
“This is a race for minerals at any cost,” said Jean-Claude Mputu, a spokesperson for a coalition of civil society organizations called Le Congo n’est pas à vendre, French for “Congo is not for sale.
“In this race,” Mputu said, “African states and all countries that have minerals are the big losers because no promises have been made on human rights. None. Human rights, justice and environmental protection are the biggest blind spots in these agreements.”
The DRC has vast reserves of critical minerals. With more than 70% of known global cobalt reserves, it’s trying to position itself as a key player in the global clean energy transition. According to the DRC Ministry of Mines, more than 90% of the country’s mining potential remains untapped, with an estimated value exceeding $25 trillion.
At the end of January, the DRC sent Washington a list of mining assets to be reviewed by the U.S. administration, according to Reuters. This was shared for the benefit of U.S. investors as part of the minerals partnership, the news agency reported.
“These agreements are negotiated in total opacity, and the population and parliament are absolutely not involved,” Mputu said. “Some companies we are in contact with say that, on the American side, these deals only serve to enrich Trump’s friends and do not reflect American values like human rights, democracy and justice. This is a real problem. Ultimately, isn’t this agreement just Trump’s vision of the world, the rule of the strongest?”
It isn’t clear if Trump’s stated goal of establishing peace in the region by opening the door to more trade and commerce is actually working. Despite the signing of the peace agreement, hostilities have continued in the eastern DRC and attacks have started to spread to other provinces. Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, Bangboka airport near the key city of Kisangani in Tshopo province, which borders North Kivu province, was hit by multiple explosive-laden drones. M23 leadership later claimed responsibility.
“In its hope to reach security, the Congolese government decided to give away its mining resources without restraint in exchange for American protection,” Mputu said. “It’s a gamble the regime has taken. Now we have to see whether that gamble will pay off or not.
“But for the Congolese population, there will be no benefit,” he went on. “The interests of the Congolese people were not defended in this agreement, and one cannot build security while destroying the environment and violating the rights of local communities.”
Mongabay contacted the DRC Ministry of Mines, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa for further information, but received no response by the time this story was published.
Banner Image: Artisanal cobalt miners in the DRC. Image by The International Institute for Environment and Development. Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic.
Credits
