A tripartite cooperation framework on strategic minerals involving the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the United States and Rwanda was launched in Washington on Dec. 4, 2025.
The Regional Economic Integration Framework (REIF), which serves as the economic pillar of a peace accord, was signed by Kinshasa and Kigali after a preliminary signing on Nov. 7. Alongside the accord, the United States concluded two separate bilateral agreements with the DRC and Rwanda. All documents were signed during a ceremony at the U.S. Institute of Peace attended by Presidents Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Donald Trump of the United States.
At a press briefing in Washington, Daniel Mukoko Samba, the DRC’s Vice Prime Minister for the National Economy, outlined the purpose of the three-way framework. “As relations between the DRC and Rwanda move toward a more peaceful path centered on shared prosperity, it is also important for the sponsor of this process to secure access to critical metals,” he said. The official added that in today’s geopolitical landscape, access to strategic minerals is essential for any state seeking to become or remain a global power.
Andre Wameso, now Governor of the Central Bank of the Congo and a former economic adviser who took part in negotiations with Rwanda and the United States, said the REIF guarantees that access to strategic resources in eastern DRC will now be negotiated exclusively with national authorities. Wameso argued that the conflict in the country’s east, ongoing for three decades, did not originate from a bilateral dispute between Kinshasa and Kigali but from a Western strategy aimed at bypassing Congolese authorities who opposed the privatization of the mining sector at the time.
A Minerals-for-Security Agreement
The REIF seeks to usher in what Donald Trump described as “a new era of harmony and cooperation” between the DRC and Rwanda by addressing a key driver of the conflict: opaque mineral supply chains. U.S. officials say the framework “unlocks the vast economic potential of the Great Lakes region and creates opportunities for the U.S. private sector.” Commenting on the DRC’s resources, Trump said, “There is tremendous wealth in this land,” adding that U.S. companies would invest in rare earth extraction. “Everybody is going to make a lot of money,” he declared.
A long-discussed “minerals-for-security” pact between Washington and Kinshasa has also been finalized. Congolese officials said two documents were signed: a strategic partnership agreement covering economic and commercial matters, and a memorandum of understanding on security and defense cooperation.
“The relationship between the U.S. and Congolese governments has entered a new phase,” Mukoko Samba said. “Until now, economic ties were governed by an investment protection agreement dating back to 1984. Today, we are strategic partners on economic and trade issues, on defense and security, on science and technology, and on governance.”
Background and Early Moves
Separately, the United States and Rwanda signed the “Shared Economic Prosperity Framework Agreement,” which also addresses strategic minerals, according to press reports. In October 2025, the U.S. received its first shipment of tungsten concentrate from Rwanda, sourced from the Nyakabingo mine and processed in Pennsylvania under a partnership involving Trinity Metals, Global Tungsten & Powders and Traxys.
With Washington and Kinshasa expected to deepen economic ties, several U.S. firms are already active in the DRC, including Kobold Metals in mining and Starlink in satellite internet. The U.S. is also contributing to development of the Lobito Corridor, which links southeastern DRC’s mining regions to the Atlantic coast.
Congolese authorities caution, however, that the triangular cooperation framework can only be fully implemented once peace returns to the country’s east. Despite the signing of the June 27 peace agreement in Washington, violence has recently flared again in South Kivu, leading to new population displacements.
Pierre Mukoko
