Peace deal or plunder of Congo’s resources? A look at America’s new tactic in Africa

Pars Today - An Indian analyst has revealed that the aim behind the U.S. mediation for a 'peace' deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda is the theft of Congo's mineral resources by Washington. At the heart of America's strategic realignment lies Africa, a continent that was previously on the sidelines of U.S. foreign policy but has now become a primary target in global competition for access to vital mineral resources. 

According to Pars Today, on June 27th, the U.S. intervened as a peace mediator between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, an action linking regional stability to America's access to Congo's cobalt and copper. In this context, Nandita Lal, a climate issues analyst writing for 'New Arab,' asserts that the 'peace' deal brokered by America between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo is not about peace at all but rather a corporate theft by Washington of Congo's mineral resources.

She believes that behind America's green promises lies a familiar pattern: extraction, exploitation, and obliteration. The analysis states that the Democratic Republic of Congo produces nearly 70% of the world's cobalt and a significant portion of global copper and coltan, critical minerals essential for everything from electric vehicles to advanced military systems. However, this vast mineral wealth has never translated into development incentives for the people of Congo, who continue to live in poverty as miners.

According to the author, colonial equations of exploitation from the past remain potent, with new players such as Glencore, Tesla, and the Pentagon seeking to benefit. Glencore, for instance, is mentioned as a multinational company involved in trade and mineral extraction operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, frequently accused of corruption and human rights violations in the country. 

Lal adds that in a recent report, Francesca Albanese, a special rapporteur for the UN on human rights in Palestine, highlighted Glencore as a major coal supplier for Israel's electricity production, indicating complicity with human rights violators. Congo's mineral resources thus serve as fuel for America's military engines.

Congo’s minerals: Fuel for America’s military engine

The climate issues analyst emphasizes that while Western merchants bomb Palestinians, Yemenis, Somalis, Iraqis, and Syrians, the Pentagon awards them record-breaking contracts. The global South is dying so that Wall Street can thrive.

She concludes by noting that control over Congo's mines is not merely an option for America but a condition for its survival, where every drone, every artificial intelligence weapon, and every technology supply chain operates on the extraction of resources from the global South. Lal criticizes the recent peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo, labeling it as nothing more than a new packaging for imperial plunder, legitimizing Western companies' resource extraction as 'official mineral value chains' under the law."