US Peace Efforts in DRC Could Usurp Chinese Regime’s Grip in Region: Analysts

Closer ties could also mean a rare earth windfall for the United States.

Artisanal miners collect gravel from the Lukushi River, searching for cassiterite in Manono, the Democratic Republic of Congo on Feb.17, 2022. Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images

The United States has taken a major step toward breaking Beijing’s stranglehold on critical minerals by helping broker a cease-fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Eastern DRC has some of the world’s largest deposits of such minerals, including cobalt, copper, and lithium. These materials have become essential to modern life and future energy security, manufacturing, and defense.