Congo eyes US minerals deal by end of June, FT reports

A man displays coltan ore at a mine near the town of Rubaya in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on August 13, 2019. 

Photo credit: Reuters

Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo are optimistic they can reach a deal with Washington next month to secure US investment in critical minerals alongside support to end a Rwandan-backed rebellion in the country’s east, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the US, Reuters reported last week.