US has its eye on another country's rare earth minerals

The Democratic Republic of Congo and the United States are negotiating the admission of American companies to African rare earth minerals. This is reported by the Financial Times.

It is noted that Congo initiated negotiations last month. The country plans to grant the U.S. rights to explore and extract minerals, including copper, cobalt and uranium.In turn, the Congo authorities are waiting for U.S. military support to fight the rebels who have seized part of the eastern territories.

Negotiations are still at the initial stage, however, US President Donald Trump has already said he is interested in them," the newspaper said.

The White House has not yet officially commented on this situation.

It should be noted that in the Democratic Republic of Congo the confrontation between rebels from the group "Movement of 23 March", supported by Rwanda, and forces loyal to the government continues. In January, D23 fighters captured the city of Goma in the east of the country, a megacity with a population of about two million people. The D23 group, formed mainly from the Tutsi people.

We would like to add that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to a huge amount of rare and strategically important minerals. Among the rare earth and critical elements mined in Congo are:

Major Rare Earth and Strategic Minerals in the DRC:

1. Cobalt - The DRC is the largest producer of cobalt in the world. This metal is used in the production of lithium-ion batteries needed for electric cars, smartphones, and other technologies.
2. Coltan (columbite-tantalite) - a key source of tantalum, which is used in electronics, including the manufacture of capacitors and microchips.
3. Niobium - used in metallurgy to create strong and heat-resistant alloys.
4. Lithium - althoughlithium mining is not yet well developed in the DRC, the country has significant reserves of this metal, which is essential for batteries.
5. Tin (cassiterite) - used in the production of soldering materials, alloys and electronics.
6. Tungsten (wolframite) - needed for tools, weapons and high-temperature alloys.
7. Gold - in addition to its traditional use in the jewellery industry, gold is used in electronics and medicine.
8. Copper - an important metal for wires, electronics and renewable energy.

The DRC has vast natural resources, but their extraction is accompanied by problems, including illegal mining, corruption and conflicts over control of the deposits.