After Ukraine deal, US turns its critical minerals gaze to Africa: Andy Home

Potential peace deal between Congo, Rwanda, and M23 rebels could impact mineral-rich regions and global supply chains.

Andy Home

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reached out to the Donald Trump administration with a Ukrainian-style proposal in February in response to the rapid advance of the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group in the east of the country,

The U.S. government has responded enthusiastically with a flurry of negotiations aimed at ending a decades-long conflict born out of the Rwandan genocide of 1994. The political momentum is building towards a potential peace deal between Congo and Rwanda as soon as May, to be accompanied by bilateral minerals deals between both countries and the United States.

At stake are the mineral riches of North and South Kivu provinces, a major but highly problematic source of metals such as tin, tungsten and coltan.

The M23 rebels seized control of Goma and Bukavu, eastern Congo's two largest cities, in February. By early March, they had advanced rapidly westwards to Walikale, the location of the Bisie tin mine.

Bisie is a poster child for ethical mining in the Congo, having transitioned from an artisanal site to a fully-modernised operation that is the world's fourth largest producer of tin concentrates. Bisie's operator, Alphamin Resources, quickly shut down and evacuated the site as M23 rebels closed in, sending tin prices into a frenzy and threatening the Congolese government with the loss of a major source of revenue. The fall of Walikale seems to have accelerated direct talks between the U.S. government, Congo and Rwanda, resulting in M23 fighters withdrawing in what they presented as a goodwill gesture ahead of Qatar-brokered peace talks.

Alphamin resumed operations at Bisie on April 15.