Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) | 09 May 2025

Source: TH 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is holding peace talks with Rwanda and the M23 militias to protect its mineral-rich regions and ensure national stability. 

• The US is facilitating peace talks aiming to secure peace and establish bilateral critical mineral deals with the DRC.  
  • In February 2025, Rwanda-backed M23 militia seized cities like Goma and Bukavu, and threatened the Bisie tin mine, world's 4th-largest producer of tin concentrates. 
• The North and South Kivu provinces in DRC are rich in tin, tungsten, and tantalum (coltan ore) (3T minerals). 
  • The DRC is the largest source of cobalt (70% of global supply) and 40% of the world's coltan, used in tantalum capacitors for electronics due to its high charge retention. 
• The M23 militia, a Tutsi-led rebel group in eastern DRC, fights to protect Tutsi communities. They battle the DRC government and a Hutu-linked militia connected to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.  
  • M23 is believed to be supported by Rwanda, while Hutu has backing from some Hutu groups in the region. 
• The DRC, Africa’s 2nd-largest country, has the mineral-rich Katanga Plateau (cobalt, copper, tin, uranium, diamonds). 
  • Its capital Kinshasa lies on the Congo River, the only African river to cross the equator twice.