In March 2025, President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offered the country’s critical mineral reserves to the  in exchange for security and stability.

At the time, the March 23 (M23)  was unleashing violence: killing civilians, committing sexual violence, displacing communities and looting mineral resources. Since 1996, eastern Congo has been engulfed in wars and armed conflicts driven by regional powers and more than .

The U.S.-brokered  between Rwanda and the DRC raises critical questions: Is this a genuine path to sustainable peace, or a continuation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s strategy to secure access to critical minerals through coercive diplomacy?

Global arms race for critical minerals

The global shift toward renewable energy, digital infrastructure and military modernization has sparked a geopolitical scramble for critical and rare earth minerals.

In early 2025, Trump signed a series of executive orders that introduced aggressive and imperial-style tactics to . He  with annexation and tariffs, Ěý˛ą˛Ô»ĺĚý to access to its mineral reserves.

The DRC’s offer must be viewed through this lens of global resource competition.

Congo’s critical mineral wealth

The DRC holds some of the world’s richest deposits of critical minerals and metals. A 2012 article estimated the value of Congo’s untapped mineral wealth at US$24 trillion, a figure nearing the U.S.  of $29.962 trillion.

The DRC  of the world’s cobalt, , sixth  and also possesses vast reserves of nickel and lithium, including the  expected to yield 95,170 tonnes of crude lithium.

But the struggle to control these resources has fuelled a , displacement and exploitation. Despite , peace and stability remain elusive.

America’s interests in Congo

U.S. involvement in Congo stretches back to the Cold War, when it played a role in the , Congo’s first elected prime minister who sought economic sovereignty.

In 1996, the U.S. was accused of backing Rwanda and Uganda in the initial invasion of eastern Congo. A U.S. diplomat, “Mr. Hankins,” : “I am here …to represent American interests.”

In 2024, President Joe Biden met Tshisekedi to advance the , a strategic trade route to counter China’s dominance in the region. Chinese companies currently control around 80 per cent of Congo’s copper market.

When Trump signed the 2025 peace agreement, he  the U.S. would gain “a lot of mineral rights … foreign trade and investment from the regional critical mineral supply chains.”

Miners work at the D4 Gakombe coltan mining quarry in Rubaya, Democratic Republic of Congo, in May 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

U.S.-brokered peace deal

The deal, however, prioritizes America’s access to minerals over the well-being of Congolese citizens. Historically, Congo’s mineral wealth has enriched  while leaving its people impoverished and vulnerable. The new agreement could entrench existing inequalities and inflame tensions further.

The U.S. has also  for war survivors, including emergency medical kits and antiretrovirals for rape victims, undermining humanitarian efforts.

Crucially, the agreement overlooks:

• The root causes and drivers of conflict at national, regional and international levels.
• The role of Rwanda and Uganda, whose militaries and intelligence services have long been implicated in supporting groups like M23. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, has referred to M23 as “” and threatened military action in Congo.
• The voices of Congolese civil society, war survivors and the public, who were excluded from the negotiation process.
• State fragility and institutional collapse — major enablers of protracted violence.
• The grievances of Hutu and Tutsi communities in the DRC, deeply rooted in colonial and regional politics.
• The presence of more than 120 armed groups, many of them proxies for foreign powers engaging in what some scholars 

Between January and February 2025 alone, more than 7,000 people  in the DRC. The United Nations and several human rights organizations have documented , including crimes of .

A child carrying water walks past Wazalendo forces fighting M23 rebels patrolling in Sake, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in August 2024. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A path toward real peace

The peace agreement fails to demand justice for crimes committed against the Congolese people. Nobel Peace laureate  for “rewarding aggression, legitimizing the plundering of Congo’s natural resources, and sacrificing justice for a fragile peace.”

It also ignores the roles of international mining corporations and external entities that have long profited from Congo’s instability.

True and lasting peace in the DRC cannot be imposed from the outside. U.S.-led mineral extraction without justice risks deepening the crisis. Since 1999, , yet violence continues.

Sustainable peace will require:

• An end to impunity;
• Thorough investigations into war crimes;
• Regional truth-telling processes;
• Justice and reparations for victims;
• And most importantly, inclusion of Congolese voices in shaping their future.

Without these commitments, the U.S. risks replicating a long history of exploitation, trading in minerals while ignoring the human cost.

From Curtis Research found here:

Africa and its people are oftenas poor, constantly in need of help, and as “underdeveloped”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Africa is a complex and large area endowed with various natural  resources from cacao, to cattle, to metals and minerals like copper, gold, cobalt, tin, diamonds and more. Besides this, the continent has a rich history, cultures, and peoples. Why then do so many nations in Africa struggle with poverty, war and health issues? This is due to both past and present day systemic forms of colonialism and neocolonialism. This is what this February’s blog explores. 

Colonialism:

The scramble for took place from the mid 1800’s until the early 1900’s. It involved various great European powers, particularly Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The scramble happened for a variety of reasons including land grabbing, human capital, natural resources, the spread of religion, and imperial prestige. noted that the aim of colonialism was about the struggle for raw materials and the colonies becoming dumping grounds of  western rejects that are sold at exorbitant prices. As nations colonized, resources were stolen and populations were devastated. The DRC at this time (which was known as King Leopold’s Free State and later became the Belgian Congo) was heavily exploitative, violating people’s rights; many were killed to a genocidal magnitude. This exploitation continued relatively undisturbed until the end of WWI when Germany’s colonies were given to other European powers; once this transition settled the exploitation continued. The Congo, like many states, gained political independence but the need for natural resources, especially metals and minerals, remains high, exacerbated by technological advancement including the demand for renewable energy products.

From Britannia kids: found

Neo-colonialism and exploitation:

If African nations gained independence, how is it then that so many of them are still exploited and assumed poor? Its nations continue to suffer because of a phenomenon called . notes that the essence of neo colonialism  is that “the state which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside.” Africa’s exploitation  is exasperated by the global demand for Africa’s resources. From the invention of the pneumatic tires during the initial stages of the industrial era to the current demand for renewable energy products, all technological advancement have been achieved with Africa’s natural resources (e.g. minerals, metals).  In the process, Africans have been sacrificed as natural resources are valued and not the lives of the African people. Neo-colonialism uses state/overt violence, as well as companies to exploit  resources. In 2014, reported: that African countries received around $19 billion in aid and  $68 billion were taken out of the continent mainly by multinational companies that deliberately misreport the value of their imports or exports to reduce tax; this results in great losses for the people. In addition, while Africans receive $31 billion in personal remittances overseas, multinational companies operating on the continent repatriate  $32 billion in profits to their home countries each year. For example, of Western African nations still pay taxes to  France and  pay huge interests on loans. In the past, this exploitation was mostly done by European or North American companies. Currently, Africa is on a dining table with companies, mercenaries and armies  exploiting the African continent. These companies claim that they source their resources sustainably but this is not the case. These resources are often plundered and smuggled through neighboring nations. This neo-colonialism results in billions of dollars worth of resources being stolen and then used for the profit of the rich. Financial resources moving into Africa are incomparable to the outflows. The natural resources outflow from Africa have turned the rest of the world into economic giants while Africa is ranked as the poorest continent. As financial and natural resources are taken out, weapons are brought into Africa. War has been the means for accessing. Both the inflows and outflows are very difficult to trace given that there is a lot of opacity around both.  

Impacts:

While entities such as the national Indigenous political elites, warlords, regional governments and their militaries; militias, superpowers and corporations and businessmen and politicians often become billionaires from exploiting the minerals, the Congolese who these resources belong to, are beset by poverty and violence. Oftentimes the people in these nations see little if none of this wealth, resulting in further . For example an estimated $29 a year is being stolen from Africa in illegal logging, fishing and the trade in wildlife/plants, resulting in poverty and exploitation. They are often paid less than a livable wage, or are paid based on ever changing market prices. This includes women, disabled people and children, all of whom work in dangerous conditions with no health and safety regulations. In addition, these companies cause , environmental damage, and health problems in the area that they operate in. Conflict is caused by a for resources, land and power, health problems are caused by dangerous working conditions and mineral leaching, and environmental damage results from dangerous mining, farming and resource extraction practices. These impacts can result in long term damage to the people and their environment, ultimately resulting in cross-generational suffering and trauma. 

The DRC as an example: 

A prime example of this current neo-colonialism is occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC is a resource rich nation since its inception; it is particularly rich in minerals and metals such as diamonds, copper, cobalt and lithium to name a few. As mentioned above the resources of the have been stolen by Belgium in the past, but in the current day they continue to be stolen by western and Chinese nationals and their corporations, mercenaries and criminal rackets. This exploitation has directly led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in Africa if not the world. , displacement, poverty, sexual assault and conflict run rampant due to outside interference. Since the start of 2024 over 358,000 people have been displaced due to both mining practices and the conflict caused by the M23 in the DRC. This has in a total of over 7.1 million internally displaced people in the nation. This displacement is heavy in the eastern part of the region near Rwanda due to the M23.

From the UNOCHA

What Africa must do

*Unite and resist  colonial and neo-colonial exploitation. Unite and defeat the colonial strategy of divide and conquer.  The borders that separate Africa are colonial constructs. Unity must be the goal towards which Africa must bring its mental, physical, economic and political energies. The continent has abundant natural resources and human capital to produce raw material and to consume all the finished products.  

*Use the abundant natural resources to develop the continent and to provide people with basic services instead of colonizing civilians internally and sometimes seeking to balkanize neighboring nations.

*Invest in the people who have contributed to turning Western nations into superpowers. From the slaves who were brought to America and Europe to those working in silicon valley, African brains are backbones to technological advancement and other discoveries. Maxwell   has invented microsonic energy which is superior to other renewable energy sources.  In the 1700, it was the African slave who shared his knowledge of preventing smallpox and paved the way to the vaccines we use today. NASA prospered on the brains of Black women portrayed by the movie Hidden Figures. 

* Provide quality and decolonizing education to the youth of today and tomorrow. 

*Walk the talk of peace and security. No one benefits from the deaths of the millions of Africans, except that it paves way to the continued exploitation of Africa’s resources and profit for weapon industries.

Action points for the rest of the world: 

* Demand accountability for the sources of the minerals in your electronic devices. 

* Join the Congolese to demand for peace and just resource extraction to benefit the owners of the minerals. 

If you don’t need something, don’t buy it! Not only do new items, especially technology, often use exploited African labour, but they often use exploited global labour in general. 

* Boycott companies that illegally or unlawfully operate in and use resources from African nations.

* Call on the School to stop partnering with companies that exploit African nations. 

* Keep up to date on news, lawsuits, and conflicts that are happening across Africa, particularly in mineral rich nations such as the DRC.

* Educate others about what you have learned and share education links. 

The minerals, metals, and human rights:

Various that are found in the DRC are used in the production of iPhones and related technology. These minerals include but are not limited to: copper and cobalt (which can be found in the copper belt region next to Zambia), tin, and lithium among others. These materials are used in both the structure of the phone and the batteries of iPhones. The image shows where various materials can be found throughout the DRC.

A map showing where various minerals can be found in the DRC. LE MONDE DIPLOMATIQUE

The reason that these resources are often a point of contention is due to the way in which they are collected. This collection of materials through exploitation has a long history in the DRC. This exploitation started in the 1800’s with Leopold II of Belgium and his brutal colonial regime. While the DRC is now a free autonomous nation, the exploitation of the nation, its people, and its resources still continues today. Many of these materials are extracted by either western mining corporations (from nations such as Canada and the US) or mines run by Chinese corporations. These mines often have below quality standards of workplace safety; people work without safety gear and in dangerous conditions. Those employed in the mines are also often either consistently under-paid or work for wages which are constantly changing yet still far below a livable wage. There have also been various sources showing that , some under the age of 10, are working in the mines; this amounts to child slavery/labour. This mining is often violent and adds to conflict in the area, leading to murder and the sexual assault/rape of women and girls. In addition, the mining process itself results in massive environmental damage and pollution that harms both animals, people and plant life in the area. All of these facts make using or sourcing materials in the DRC precarious. 

A photo showing a young child working in a mineral mine in the DRC. MCGILL UNIVERSITY/Valentin Migabo

How Apple is involved: 

The Apple company is a technological giant that makes a variety of products including: cell phones, digital pens, laptops, iPads and smart watches among others. Next to Android cell phones, is one of the largest producers of cell phones across the world. In 2023 alone there was over 234 million iPhones shipped across the globe. These phones are then sold at a high price to individuals and companies. Many of the materials in Apple phones are, as mentioned above, made from minerals found in DRC. The Apple company has claimed that the minerals they used are either recycled (such as in the case with copper) or are ethically from places like the Rwandan. The DRC has stated that Apple’s claims are false and that the minerals are either directly exploited from the DRC or bought from Rwanda who has been taking minerals from the eastern parts of the DRC such as in South and North Kivu. Rwanda, which is a small nation to the right of the DRC, has denied these claims and has denied having links to the militant group March 23 (M23), rather claiming that their minerals are sourced ethically. 

What happens next?

At this point in time, it is unclear whether or not the lawsuit will be found in favour of Apple Inc or the DRC. Currently, , one of the nations Apple operates in who has been accused of exploitation, has taken on investigating these claims. The other main nation involved, France, has not yet taken action on the lawsuit. As time goes on we must wait and see whether justice will be given to the DRC, its people, and its environment, or whether capitalism and the Apple company will win again. For more information on the law suit please watch this

Action points:

Are you a student or staff member who wants to help? You can. Fight against exploitation by:

• Not buying new Apple Inc products
• Calling on the school to abstain from new Apple Inc products
• Write to Apple, the management and the CEO’s calling on them for transparency and better ethical practices
• Keep up with the news on the DRC and share it
• Support groups and fundraisers that protect women, men and children in the DRC from exploitation

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Mallence Bart-Williams introduced her second home Sierra Leone and its talented people, who are part of her project FOLORUNSHO. Find out more via http://www.tedxberlin.de.

It is an essential part of most mobile gadgets sold around the world and demand for cobalt is soaring. But the process of extracting the mineral from the earth comes at a huge human cost. A Sky News investigation has found children as young as four working in dangerous and squalid conditions in Cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for as little as 8p a day. Sky’s special correspondent Alex Crawford reports.

Unreported World investigates the dirty business of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineral is fuelling the planet’s green revolution, but at what cost? Around seventy percent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Central African country, mostly from the southern Katanga area, thought to be one of the ten most polluted places on earth. Reporter Jamal Osman travels to Kolwezi, a city dependent on supplying Cobalt, a critical component for electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Residents are employed by large multinational companies, or in smaller, and more dangerous artisanal mines. We meet the men who clamber down dark weaving airless tunnels to extract cobalt for as little as $150 per month. But is the paycheck worth the health risks that doctors have uncovered?

France is still pulling the strings and stealing from Africa. Colonisation of Africa has never ended. Is this the speech that got Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao sacked as African Union’s Ambassador to the United States of America? Watch the fiery speech and decide for yourself!

Kinshasa accused Rwanda of using refugees for political purposes on Wednesday, after its neighbour said it would no longer take in people fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Monday that his country “cannot keep hosting refugees” — stoking already high tensions between the two countries.

Read the on their website.