AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Earlier this month, President Trump announced a peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, but fighting has not stopped. At the same time, Washington also signed an economic agreement with Congo. The deal gives U.S. companies first access to Congo's fabled mines, a sector that has long been dominated by China. Emmet Livingstone has more from Kinshasa. And a warning to listeners - you will hear gunfire in this piece.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).
EMMET LIVINGSTONE: It's difficult to describe the enormity of Congo's mineral wealth. The country, in the heart of Africa, produces over 70% of the world's cobalt, and it's the second-largest producer of copper. It also has tantalum, niobium and lithium - minerals critical for both tech and defense. And the Trump administration is keen to capitalize.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We're going to take out some of the rare earth and take out some of the assets and pay. And everybody's going to make a lot of money.
LIVINGSTONE: That was President Trump on December 4, on the expansive economic deal his administration had just signed with Congo. No major U.S. company operates in Congo, deterred by instability and corruption. The economic deal aims to change that. Among its most significant provisions, U.S. firms get first dibs on some Congolese mines up for sale, which could block new Chinese investment. The deal also lays out ways to guarantee stable supplies of critical minerals, including cobalt, to the U.S.
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LIVINGSTONE: And it commits Congolese state-owned companies to ship minerals via the Lobito Corridor, a U.S.-backed railway from Congo's mining region to the Atlantic coast in Angola.
JACQUES MUKENA: You know, the DRC has effectively handed the U.S. a blank check in the mining sector.
LIVINGSTONE: Jacques Mukena is a political economist at Congolese think tank Ebuteli.
MUKENA: That doesn't just raise questions about control - sovereign control over the mining sector. It also kills the very idea of free competition, especially for other competitors like China.
LIVINGSTONE: For Mukena, the deal is first and foremost about U.S. competition with China. Cobalt, for example, is crucial not just for batteries, but for military tech, fighter jet engines and missiles. American officials say the deal will benefit everyone. In return, Congo's government has also promised to simplify its tax regime to attract investment.
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ANDRE WAMESO: (Speaking French).
LIVINGSTONE: Andre Wameso, Congo's central bank governor, described the new relationship with the U.S. as a historic turning point. The country hopes to attract billions in investment, but also wants security guarantees from Washington.
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LIVINGSTONE: But in eastern Congo, fighting continues between government forces and M23 rebels backed by Rwanda, a conflict rooted in the Rwandan genocide three decades ago. Despite the Trump-brokered peace deal, the violence goes on. Without a resolution, the future of the U.S.-Congo economic deal remains uncertain.
For NPR News, I'm Emmet Livingstone in Kinshasa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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