According to a report by The New York Times, Tshisekedi, whose government has struggled to retain control over territories recently overtaken by the M23, is negotiating trade agreements for the DRC's prized minerals.
The Congolese head of state's goal is to leverage the natural resourcesâ€"among the most abundant in the worldâ€"to garner assistance from Western powers, hoping they will apply more pressure on Rwanda, which he accuses of backing the M23 rebels. Rwanda has repeatedly denied the claims.
The DRC is rich in minerals, including cobalt, copper, diamonds, and gold, and has vast untapped resources valued at an estimated $24 trillion. Cobalt, in particular, plays a crucial role in global supply chains, as the DRC provides about 60% of the world's cobalt reserves.
Tshisekedi's offer aims to entice the U.S. and European countries into becoming more involved in the region, with the hope of tipping the scale in the DRC's favour in its battle against M23 in the wake of the capture of Bukavu and Goma, key cities in eastern Congo.
Tshisekedi's negotiations come at a time when China has made significant inroads into the DRC's mining sector, with many of the country's mineral resources controlled by foreign entities.
This has fueled ongoing tensions, as the local population continues to live in poverty despite the wealth generated from mining activities. Congo's mineral wealth has often been siphoned off by foreign companies, with only a fraction of the proceeds benefiting the Congolese people.
The DRC's mineral wealth has long been a point of contention, especially regarding Rwanda's alleged role in supporting the M23 rebels, a claim Tshisekedi has repeatedly made.
Rwanda, for its part, denies involvement, and M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka has refuted Tshisekedi's assertion that the group is motivated by the DRC's mineral resources.
In past media statements, Kanyuka stated that M23's struggle is not for control of valuable land but for survival, accusing Kinshasa of oppressing ethnic groups, particularly the Kinyarwanda-speaking communities in the east, and denying them recognition as true Congolese citizens.
Meanwhile, reports of Tshisekedi's latest overtures come just days after the U.S. government imposed sanctions on General (rtd) James Kabarebe, Rwanda's Minister of State for Regional Integration in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, accusing him of facilitating connections between Rwanda and M23.
The Rwandan government strongly condemned the sanctions, terming them "unjustified" and counterproductive to regional peace efforts.
'The sanctions are unjustified. The international community should support, not undermine, ongoing regional efforts toward a political solution. If sanctions could resolve the conflict in eastern DRC, we would have had peace in the region decades ago,' Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo said.
Rwanda has consistently argued that the crisis in eastern Congo is rooted in deeper historical and governance issues that require political solutions rather than external pressure.
IGIHE
