The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Foreign Minister emphasizes the need for diverse partnerships in developing the nation’s critical mineral resources amid increasing U.S. interest and competition with China.
Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has expressed that the country views growing American involvement in its critical minerals sector not as a competition with China, but as an opportunity for collaboration. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at the United Nations, she emphasized the importance of multiple partnerships to harness the DRC’s vast natural wealth for the benefit of its citizens.
“I don’t like talking about competition. I like talking about complementarity,” Kayikwamba Wagner stated. She highlighted that countries as significant as the United States, the DRC, and China cannot rely on a single partner for development. Instead, they must engage with various partners that bring different expertise and resources to the table.
These remarks come as the U.S. government seeks to enhance access to the DRC’s rich deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium, and gold, while simultaneously reducing reliance on mineral supply chains dominated by China. A strategic partnership signed between Washington and Kinshasa on December 4, 2025, aims to bolster economic cooperation, investment, and the establishment of secure and transparent critical mineral supply chains. This agreement is part of a broader regional framework designed to promote economic integration and address longstanding conflicts between the DRC and Rwanda.
In addition to the U.S.-DRC partnership, a separate agreement involving the DRC’s state mining company, Gécamines, and commodities trader Mercuria could prioritize U.S. buyers’ access to certain copper and cobalt supplies, according to reports from Reuters. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation has also shown interest in acquiring a strategic stake in this partnership.
Kayikwamba Wagner noted that relations between the U.S. and the DRC are evolving into a more concrete partnership based on mutual economic interests. She welcomed increased U.S. engagement in the DRC, which she believes could lead to tangible improvements in the lives of Congolese citizens while also benefiting American partners.
During a high-level U.N. meeting on critical minerals, Kayikwamba Wagner warned that the global shift toward clean energy should not replicate an economic model where raw materials are extracted from Africa while processing, technology, and profits remain elsewhere. “The global energy transition must not become another extractive transition,” she cautioned. “If it merely replaces one form of dependency with another, it will have fallen short of its promise.”
She called for foreign partnerships that support local processing, infrastructure development, technology transfers, research, industrialization, and access to financing, rather than merely securing supplies of raw materials.
The push for minerals is closely tied to the U.S.-mediated peace process between the DRC and Rwanda. The two countries signed a peace agreement in Washington on June 27, 2025, which was reaffirmed by Presidents Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame on December 4, 2025. This framework aims to reduce conflict and attract Western investment to a region rich in cobalt, copper, tantalum, and other minerals.
Kayikwamba Wagner acknowledged that while the agreement has not completely eradicated violence, the willingness of Washington to impose consequences for violations indicates that the peace process remains significant. “This is a 30-year conflict we’re dealing with,” she remarked. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”
She praised the U.S. administration for sanctioning the Rwanda Defense Force and senior Rwandan officials for their alleged support of the M23 rebel group, which has been implicated in seizing territory and strategic mining locations in eastern Congo. The Treasury Department reported in March that the RDF had supported, trained, and fought alongside M23. Rwanda has consistently denied these allegations.
“I find it encouraging to see that we have with us a partner that is not willing to give up at the first obstacle,” Kayikwamba Wagner stated.
While in New York, she highlighted the connection between natural resources, armed conflict, and sexual violence, noting a significant increase in such violence in areas controlled by M23 and Rwandan forces. Victims in these occupied regions often lack access to justice, healthcare, or other means of redress.
“This is also one of the reasons why we continue to be mobilized against this illegal occupation of eastern DRC,” she asserted, emphasizing the need to restore state authority to provide survivors with justice and medical care.
In her remarks at the U.N., she pointed to the Rubaya mining area, which is under M23 control and contributes significantly to global tantalum demand. U.N. experts estimate that at least 1,400 tons of coltan were smuggled into Rwanda during the first year after the mines were seized, generating approximately $800,000 per month for the armed group.
On June 25, the Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions against a network accused of collaborating with M23 to smuggle minerals from eastern Congo into Rwanda, stating that the action was intended to support the Washington peace framework and enhance transparency in regional mineral supply chains, according to Reuters.