As Peace Looms in Congo, Expert Says US Delivers ‘Heavy Blow to China’

The U.S.-brokered agreement could mean American access to valuable minerals, freezing China out of a region it prizes.

M23 rebel soldiers provide security, some seated on rooftops near the stadium, others in pickups close to the stands, during a thanksgiving service organized by the M23/AFC administration at Stade de l'Unité in Goma, Congo, on May 18, 2025. Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—Congo and Rwanda have now signed a U.S.-brokered agreement that could end almost 30 years of war in Central Africa, igniting a race for access to vast reserves of critical minerals and precious metals.

The United States is after Congo’s resources, which include cobalt, tantalum, and lithium. These are essential to the global energy transition to electric power and are used in electronics, such as computers and cell phones, as well as in the production of weapons and military equipment.