DRC officials defend ‘minerals-for-security’ US deals

From left: Presidents Donald Trump (US), Paul Kagame (Rwanda) and Felix Tshisekedi (DRC) during a peace signing ceremony at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, US, December 4, 2025. 

Photo credit: Reuters

Last weekend, President Félix Tshisekedi returned from signing the DRC–Rwanda agreement in Washington to a hero’s welcome in Kinshasa. 

From his car’s sunroof, he waved to cheering crowds who believed he had put an end to the conflict with the stroke of a pen.