Among those dispatched to Washington are Gen Patrick Sasa Nzita and other experts in military and intelligence matters. According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), the delegation is expected to remain in Washington for ten days.
The United States has indicated that, based on the peace agreement signed between Rwanda and the DRC on June 27, 2025, it is interested in collaborating with these nations on projects that will boost their economic development and that of the wider Great Lakes Region.
However, the Congolese delegation in Washington has expressed a desire for the partnership to extend beyond economic cooperation, calling for stronger American involvement in reinforcing the DRC's security sector.
Currently, the United States is a close ally of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In those cases, U.S. partnerships go far beyond economic development and include building robust defense and security capabilities to safeguard national sovereignty.
For example, the U.S. played a decisive role in liberating Kuwait in 1991 after its territory was occupied by Iraq. Since then, the partnership has expanded to military collaboration, trade, investment, and counterterrorism initiatives.
Representatives of the DRC stated that their country seeks to develop a relationship with the United States similar to these long-standing alliances with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, combining both economic and security cooperation.
The Congolese government has emphasized its willingness to grant the United States access to some of its mineral resources to help build its security capacity.
In return, it expects the U.S. to support efforts to strengthen the DRC's ability to ensure its own security â€" without replacing the Congolese army itself.
According to the Congolese delegation, what the DRC wants is American involvement in modernizing its military, providing up-to-date equipment, and strengthening its defense systems.
This approach, officials say, would enable the DRC to protect its sovereignty and stability while benefiting both nations through a strategic security and economic partnership.
IGIHE
