The Congolese president reportedly sent a letter to Trump asking to strike a minerals deal in exchange for removing rebels from the war-torn country. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
Congo "is interested in partnering with the Trump administration to end the conflict and stop the flow of blood minerals via Rwanda," a Tshisekedi spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal.
"It is in both our interests that American companies – like Apple and Tesla – buy minerals direct from source in the DRC and unlock the engine of our mineral wealth for the benefit of all the world," she added.
Members of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in January 2025. (Arlette Bashizi/Reuters )
WIDESPREAD KILLING, RAPE, DISEASE AND WAR MAKE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO HELL ON EARTH
Tshisekedi joined Fox News' Bret Baier Wednesday to discuss the potential minerals deal with the U.S., explaining he wants to build jobs in his nation through the extraction of the minerals, while simultaneously building a partnership with the U.S. to ensure lasting peace in the nation.
M23 rebels stand with their weapons in Kibumba, in Congo, Dec. 23, 2022. (Moses Sawasawa, File/The Associated Press)
"Nature abhors a vacuum, as the saying goes," he told Baier. "It's not that China is waxing in Africa. It's more that America is waning in Africa… and we would be very happy to have our American friends here, who used to be more present than China in the ‘70s and ’80s."
Tshisekedi is also in negotiations with Erik Prince, the founder of private military firm formerly known as Blackwater and a Trump ally, to potentially aid the Congo's government amid the war, the Wall Street Journal reported.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the deal offer, but did not immediately receive a reply.
The offer comes after the Trump administration worked to strike a minerals deal with Ukraine, which is rich in resources such as lithium and copper, in an effort to recoup the cost of aid sent to Ukraine amid its war with Russia.
The deal, however, was put on ice after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's tense Oval Office meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February.
Fox News Digital's Paul Tilsley and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/african-war-torn-nation-invokes-trump-golden-age-minerals-deal-exchange-booting-violent-rebels