M23 rebels have vowed to keep fighting after Congo DR President Felix Tshisekedi signed minerals deal with US President Donald Trump in a bid to win his support in the war against the rebels.
Two major Congo DR cities Goma and Bukavu have been captured by the rebels in eastern Congo DR as the Congolese forces continue to lose ground the in the region.
“We will fight like people who got nothing to lose in order to secure the future of our country,” Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC) that includes the M23 rebel group, told The Associated Press.
“This problem can be better resolved by the concerned Congolese, not foreigners with different geopolitical agendas.
“Trying to bribe U.S. with mines can undermine U.S. credibility.
“Anything regarding us which are done without us, it’s against us.”
Most of Congo’s mineral resources, estimated to be worth $24 trillion and critical to much of the world’s technology, remain untapped, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce last year.
The U.S. government has not publicly spoken about any minerals deal being planned with Congo, which local observers say could be similar to the Trump administration’s offer for Ukraine to help end the war with Russia.
Efforts to achieve a ceasefire collapsed last week after the rebels pulled out from talks being facilitated by Angola, condemning European Union sanctions on its leaders.
Nangaa also rejected the outcome of a meeting between Congolese and Rwandan leaders in Qatar, saying such a move to achieve peace without the group’s involvement would fail and that the rebels can only have a dialogue with Congo’s government if the country acknowledges their grievances and the root causes of the conflict. AP
