Eastern Congo on brink of peace as US pushes for mining deal. Image: AlJazeera.
(The Post News)– Moves to end fighting in eastern Congo, crucial to US President Donald Trump’s plans for a mining bonanza, are set to begin by Sunday. However, the future of a small rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), has emerged as a major obstacle.
Rwanda has denied allegations from the UN and Western governments that it is fighting alongside the M23 rebels to gain access to Congo’s minerals. Instead, Rwanda claimed its troops are deployed to tackle the FDLR, which it considers an existential threat. Security experts and diplomats, however, say the FDLR has only a few hundred combatants and isn’t a significant battlefield force.
The peace agreement requires Congo to “neutralize” the FDLR as Rwanda withdraws from Congolese territory. Both the Congolese operations against the FDLR and the Rwandan withdrawal are supposed to start by Sunday and conclude by the end of September. UN experts accuse Rwanda, along with M23, of trying to seize control of mineral-rich territory, which Rwanda denies.
Congo and Rwanda have differing views on the FDLR. Congo accuses Rwanda of using the FDLR as a pretext for deploying troops, while Rwanda says the group’s presence necessitates its defense posture. The US expects Congo and Rwanda to abide by the peace deal, which would foster stability and prosperity in the region. All armed groups, including the FDLR, must lay down their arms and work within the framework of the peace process, according to the White House.
The FDLR has urged Trump not to greenlight a Congolese offensive against it, citing potential risks to Congolese civilians and Rwandan refugees. The group’s acting president argues that only inclusive dialogue among Rwandans can bring peace, though Rwanda has ruled out such talks. Meanwhile, a separate peace deal between Congo and M23 is expected to be signed by August 18, but M23 has no concrete plans to withdraw from the territory it controls.
Trump’s plans for a mining bonanza in the region hinge on the successful implementation of the peace agreement. The US-brokered deal aims to bring stability and investment to the region, with the Congolese and Rwandan presidents expected to sign bilateral economic packages worth billions of dollars. The packages would unlock investment in countries rich in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, lithium, and other minerals.
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