The Ministry of Mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo has rubbished allegations that the DRC leader, Felix Tshisekedi was offering the U.S President, Donald Trump all the minerals in the country in exchange of military backup.
The officials who spoke on condition of anonymity howver, admit that there have been rumors that President Tshisekedi was making wild offers in a desperate attempt to save his Kinshasa State House tenancy.
DR Congo Minerals seem to be the pawn in the battle to control Africa’s resource-rich, second biggest country currently in trouble.
But according to the DRC officials, all the mines in the country have been snatched up by various companies and entities, mostly foreign firms, with majority having roots in China.
That therefore means there is nothing else for Kinshasa to offer the USA. Unless of course if Tshisekedi plans to evict current owners.
So far, the insurgents comprising the Congo River Alliance and March 23 movement have captured a huge part of Congo including Goma in North Kivu and Bukavu in South Kivu.
The rebels are threatening to march into Kinshasa City and drag Tshisekedi out of the State House.
Meanwhile, the African Confidential reports that Tshisekedi has been pulling out all the stops to buy time since Rwandan-backed rebels captured swathes of territory in eastern DRC.
The speculations could have arisen from the recent trip to the United States by some Congolese bureaucrats who travelled across the Atlantic including Gécamines officials.
Guy Robert Lukama, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the state-owned mining company, was named by several sources, although he denied saying he had no involvement in the matter.
Also mentioned were Patrick Luabeya, the head of the strategic minerals markets authority, L’Autorité de Régulation et de Contrôle des Marchés des Substances Minérales Stratégiques (ARECOMS).
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka was represented by Finance Minister Doudou Fwamba Likunde, while the presidency sent the head of state’s brother Jacques Tshisekedi to discuss security issues.
Observers believe that the Congolese government’s hastily devised strategy is modelled on the Ukrainian example, motivated by fear of a collapse of power in Kinshasa.
While the list of assets that Kinshasa has put up for sale remains uncertain, some groups with a presence in the former Greater Katanga region are already looking to take advantage of the situation to get a foothold.
This is the case of Dubai-based Shalina Resources, whose sale of its Chemaf subsidiary to China’s Norin Mining was blocked by Gécamines.
Kinshasa’s alleged proposal to Washington, the details of which remain unclear, has received a mixed reception within the United States administration.
Several US officials, including Peter Pham, who is still waiting for the go-ahead from the Senate to become Under Secretary of State for African Affairs, as well as Trump’s distinct envoy on ‘special files,’ Richard Grenell, make no secret of their lack of confidence in the Congolese government.
Kinshasa is also working to mitigate the collapse of its security apparatus after the rout of its army this year in North and South Kivu provinces.
It wants to buy time to recover and recoup before possible negotiations with the M23 and Paul Kagame’s Rwanda.
It is with this in mind that Jacques Tshisekedi, after his US trip, visited the United Arab Emirates to urgently organize the delivery of military equipment.
He was accompanied by the president’s private adviser, Kahumbu Mandungu Bula, aka Kao, who acts as an intermediary between Félix Tshisekedi and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.