Massad Boulos says stability is vital for US investment in Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in mining. US President Donald Trump’s top Africa diplomat has emphasised that M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must stop fighting and that Rwanda must end its military support for them.
“The US position has been and will continue to be very, very clear on this,” said the US senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, after his 2-9 April visit to the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, where he met the leaders of those countries.
“The M23 must lay down their arms and Rwandan forces must withdraw from the DRC,” Boulos told African journalists in a virtual briefing on Thursday.
He reiterated that “Rwanda should cease all military support of M23 and withdraw all Rwandan troops from the DRC territory.”
Boulos appeared to take some credit for the recent withdrawal of M23 from the town of Walikale in North Kivu province, as he said this had followed his discussions with participants in the conflict.
He added the withdrawal had happened “through the assistance of the Rwandan government … and probably some pressure or push from the Rwandans”. M23 had withdrawn more than 100km eastward towards Masisi and probably beyond. “This is a significant step and these kinds of measures are critical to building confidence and demonstrating goodwill to allow negotiations for peace to continue,” he said.
Here’s what to know:
- Since January, the two major cities of eastern DRC – Goma and Bukavu — have fallen into the hands of the M23 rebels, which took up arms again in 2021.
- It is supported by some 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, according to UN experts.
- The UN says more than 10,000 people have died in the offensive this year.
- Kinshasa accuses neighbouring Rwanda of wanting to exploit the rich mineral resources of the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, but Kigali denies the charge.
M23’s withdrawal had allowed the US company Alphamin to reopen its tin mine near Walikale, which it had shut about a month ago when M23 took the town. “And we all know the plan was to continue all the way to Kisangani, and that would have been detrimental from a strategic point of view,” said Boulos.
He said shutting Alphamin had raised the global tin price by about 30%. After the mine reopened, the price “went down considerably”.
‘Good first step’
Boulos said the US was engaging with M23 and DRC and was looking forward to more such good gestures, adding that the US appreciated the recent dialogue between DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s administration and M23, which “was very successful and very fruitful by all counts.
“And this is a very good first step. We are looking forward to building on this towards achieving a final peace and a lasting peace, and full stability in the DRC and in the region.”
Asked how the US would contribute to security in eastern DRC, Corina Sanders, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for Africa, who accompanied Bolous on the trip, replied, “We’re currently putting together our own strategy to see what will be acceptable to both sides, to all sides, to the region.”
She said the trip to Africa had two goals: to drive forward the eastern DRC peace process, and to bring US investment to central Africa and the Great Lakes region, which were both “extremely important priorities for the Trump administration in Africa”.
Boulos said this initiative was “a reflection of President Trump’s commitment to Africa and his desire for regional peace.
“Our team’s efforts are a product of his vision to see an Africa that is anchored in shared economic opportunities, not in conflict.”
He said the results of the trip demonstrated “the fresh approach President Trump is taking with Africa by pursuing our security interests while strengthening our economic relationship with the people and nations in Africa through greater trade and investment”.
He said he and Tshisekedi had discussed a minerals deal and charted a path forward for boosting US private sector investment in DRC, particularly in mining.
‘Immediate ceasefire’
That required a more stable environment, which he said Tshisekedi was committed to achieving. He noted that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had had calls with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Tshisekedi, “urging an immediate ceasefire in the region and for all parties to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
Rubio had also spoken with the Angolan foreign minister, Tete António, and with Kenyan President William Ruto about finding a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.
Boulos said the US would “consider all diplomatic and economic tools to advance peace… This conflict has gone on for too long. It’s been more than three decades, and it’s about time to end it.”
He added that the US had a few platforms, such as the US International Development Finance Corporation and the US Export-Import Bank, to support private investments in the region, like the minerals deal with DRC.
The most important investment would be in infrastructure, especially in DRC, as it was “about time the DRC has a reliable infrastructure”.
He noted that the US fully supported the Lobito Corridor — a major project first supported by the Biden administration and also the European Union — to upgrade and extend the railway line from Zambia and DRC to the port of Lobito in Angola, mainly to accelerate the export of minerals.
He said the project had progressed considerably on the Angolan side and the US was now discussing with the Tshisekedi administration to work on the DRC side on railways, highways and power projects, including hydroelectric projects.
He said he had also discussed reforms with Tshisekedi, who had “promised that they will ensure full transparency, they will ensure that there will be efficiency, and all concerns of US investors will be addressed”.
Replying to a question from a Rwandan journalist, Boulos said he had discussed with Kagame and Tshisekedi the threat posed to Rwanda by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which operates in eastern DRC. The group was founded by Rwandan ethnic Hutus who fled to DRC after participating in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, directed mainly against ethnic Tutsi.
He said a solution to this problem would have to be a major element of any peace accord, but noted that solutions had already been drafted and agreed upon by both parties.
He appeared to be referring to an agreement by DRC and Rwanda under the Luanda peace process that DRC should disarm the FDLR and Rwanda should withdraw military support for the M23.
Regard Sur l’Afrique By Peter Fabricius – DM
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