The United States can secure access to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s strategic critical minerals by enacting a maximum pressure strategy to confront Rwanda’s support for M23, helping to stabilize the region and counter China’s growing influence.

On March 17, peace talks scheduled in Angola between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgency collapsed. Sanctions imposed by the European Union against senior members of both M23 and the Rwandan militia (RDF) led to Rwanda pulling out of the talks and cutting diplomatic ties with Brussels. The failure of negotiations nevertheless led to a March 18 meeting in Qatar between Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame, although a post-meeting communique showed little hope for a swift and decisive agreement. 

While targeted sanctions are welcome as essential tools in ending the conflict, without a comprehensive strategy and a more extensive sanctions mechanism, they alone are insufficient. Instead, the failure of negotiations should be followed by a maximum pressure campaign against Kigali, supported by strategic U.S. military assistance in the form of weapons and training that Kinshasa has requested, alongside continued targeted economic sanctions. President Tshisekedi emphasized this when he stated, “I think that the [United States] is able to use either pressure or sanctions to make sure that armed groups who are in the DRC can be kept at bay.” 

The ongoing diplomatic fallout from sanctions highlights a very important fact: sanctions alone will surely deepen Rwanda’s isolation; however, punitive measures will not decisively change its strategic calculus. Importantly, such decisive action has underscored the international community’s commitment to holding those perpetuating regional instability accountable. However, even with sanctions, Rwanda continues to support M23, proving that additional steps are urgently needed. 

Critical Minerals at the Center of the Conflict 

A substantial amount of the DRC’s critical mineral supply, particularly coltan, continues to be in M23’s crosshairs, pursuing a war that has clearly become entirely about access to the DRC’s critical minerals. Ongoing M23 actions have thwarted Kinshasa’s plan to develop the coltan sector by building a refinery with a capacity of one hundred tons per month of tantalum salt for export. Lauded as the Raffinerie de la Paix, the project, which has since been put on hold, would have been the first of its kind, as coltan mined in the DRC is currently refined exclusively abroad. 

Indeed, Rwanda remains a main exporter of these minerals despite quantities of domestic production not accounting for exported amounts. In 2023, then Finance Minister Nicolas Kazadi estimated that the DRC was losing almost $1 billion a year in minerals illegally smuggled into Rwanda alone. With such a financial calculus in place, Rwanda remains unlikely to abate its support for M23. 

An Opening for U.S. Engagement

The strategic offer put forward by DRC President Tshisekedi to President Trump has sought to change this calculus. With untapped resources in the DRC estimated to be valued at upwards of $24 trillion, the DRC is offering preferential access to much-needed strategic critical minerals for American industry, particularly the defense sector. This is in exchange for the military, intelligence, and training support that Kinshasa would need in order to put an end to a war that has lasted for over 30 years. Although a U.S. State Department spokesman made it clear that “The United States is open to discussing partnerships in this sector that are aligned with the Trump administration’s America First Agenda,” noting that the DRC held “a significant share of the world’s critical minerals required for advanced technologies,” no concrete progress has been made yet. With Angola retiring its position as a mediator this week, the time for Washington to engage with the DRC could not be more opportune. Compounded with European sanctions, American military training and weapons support would provide the leverage needed to change Rwanda’s thinking. 

Examining the U.S. national interest, American technological leadership has been on the line recently. China dominates critical supply chains across the continent and is already wielding substantial influence in the DRC. However, this has been limited to mining and not refining operations, as local beneficiation capacity has not been developed at scale. Indeed, this very issue was highlighted in a recent report by CSIS, according to which, “The United States has historically underinvested in commercial diplomacy in the DRC, while China has established control over key mines through state-backed financing and infrastructure-for-resources deals.” Aside from securing access to strategic critical minerals, entering the refining space could not be a better opportunity for Washington to begin counterbalancing Beijing’s entrenched position.

There is also an undeniable humanitarian component to swift U.S. action. The DRC-Rwanda conflict has seen over six million deaths since 1996, according to a Council on Foreign Relations report that was updated in 2025; around 7,000 have died since January, with the DRC’s eastern provinces housing over four million displaced persons. American support that leads to a return to the negotiation table would prevent further humanitarian deterioration while establishing the groundwork for a long-lasting peace in one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts and solidifying the Trump administration’s legacy as a global peacemaker, earning international recognition, including potentially a Nobel Peace Prize. 

The need for military aid is not without risks. This must be provided in a manner that ensures transparency, is responsibly managed, and is delivered smartly, not inadvertently exacerbating violence or encouraging corruption. Clear accountability mechanisms and sustainable resource management practices must be established, whilst the need for improved governance should certainly be on the table.

Inaction, however, would carry even greater risks. Rwanda’s destabilizing influence cannot persist unchecked, China’s strategic advantage cannot be allowed to deepen, and strategic critical minerals vital to American interests must not be allowed to remain beyond secure reach for Washington. President Tshisekedi’s minerals-for-security proposal and applying maximum pressure on Rwanda is not only the prudent thing to do—it could not be more necessary. 

Dr. Guy Kioni is the Critical Minerals Initiative Fellow at the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum and CEO of Missang, a geostrategy and management consultancy firm.

Image: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.com

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