KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A Trump administration official said Thursday the United States is in talks with conflict-plagued Congo on developing its mineral resources under a deal the Congolese president has said could help make his country safer.
U.S. President Donald Trump's senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, did not provide details of the potential deal following talks with Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa, but he said it could involve “multibillion-dollar investments.”
“You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed" the Congo's proposal, Boulos said. “I am pleased to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development.”
American companies would be “operating transparently” and would “stimulate local economies," Boulos said.
Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a mineral used to make lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones. It also has substantial gold, diamond and copper reserves.
Tshisekedi said last month that he was open to a deal on developing critical minerals with the United States if the American involvement could help quell insurgencies and boost security in the African country.
“I think that the U.S. is able to use either pressure or sanctions to make sure that armed groups ... can be kept at bay,” he said on U.S. TV broadcaster Fox.
The Trump administration also is negotiating with Ukraine over a minerals deal in that country, which originally was proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last fall in hopes of strengthening his country's hand in its conflict with Russia by tying U.S. interests to Ukraine’s future.
Eastern Congo has been in conflict for decades with more than 100 armed groups, most of which are vying for territory in the mineral-rich region near the border with Rwanda. The conflict has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises with more than 7 million people displaced, including 100,000 who fled homes this year.
The M23 is the most potent armed group and is backed by Congo’s neighbor Rwanda. In a major escalation since January, the M23 rebels have captured the cities of Goma and Bukavu and several towns in eastern Congo, prompting fears of regional war.
On Thursday, M23 withdrew from Walikale, a key mining town in eastern Congo it captured last month, after weeks of fighting with Congolese forces and its allied Wazalendo militia.
M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said the group decided to “reposition its forces” from Walikale and its surrounding areas in line with a unilateral ceasefire it declared in February.
Willy Mishiki, a national deputy representing Walikale, said the rebels left under pressure from the Wazalendo. Walikale resident Faustin Kamala said it's not clear where the rebels went.
The Walikale area is home to the largest tin deposits in Congo and to several significant gold mines. The Bisie tin mine, around 60 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of the town, accounts for the majority of tin exports from North Kivu province.
Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Justin Kabumba in Goma, Congo, contributed to this report.
FILE - Massad Boulos visits The Great Commoner, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Dearborn, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump remained defiant on Monday as global markets continued plunging and fears of a recession grew after his tariff announcement last week.
“Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
Trump accused other countries of “taking advantage of the Good OL’ USA!” on international trade and said “our past ‘leaders’ are to blame for allowing this.”
The Republican president has insisted his tariffs are necessary to rebalance global trade and rebuild domestic manufacturing. He has singled out China as “the biggest abuser of them all” and criticized Beijing for increasing its own tariffs in retaliation.
He also called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. On Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the tariffs could increase inflation, and he said “there’s a lot of waiting and seeing going on, including by us,” before any decisions would be made.
Trump spent the weekend in Florida, arriving on Thursday night to attend a Saudi-funded tournament at his Miami golf course. He stayed at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, and golfed at two of his properties nearby.
On Sunday, he posted a video of himself hitting a drive, and he told reporters aboard Air Force One that evening that he won a club championship.
“It’s good to win,” Trump said. "You heard I won, right?”
He also said that he wouldn’t back down from his tariffs despite the turmoil in the global markets.
“Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something," Trump said.
Goldman Sachs issued a new forecast saying a recession has become more likely even if Trump backtracks from his tariffs. The financial firm said economic growth would slow dramatically “following a sharp tightening in financial conditions, foreign consumer boycotts, and a continued spike in policy uncertainty that is likely to depress capital spending by more than we had previously assumed.
On Monday, the president is scheduled to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House to celebrate their World Series victory. He's also meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and they're expected to hold a joint press conference in the afternoon.
Trump has strived for a united front after the chaotic infighting of his first term. However, the economic turbulence has exposed some fractures within his disparate coalition of supporters.
Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager, lashed out at Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday as “indifferent to the stock market and the economy crashing.” He said Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial firm led by Lutnick before he joined the Trump administration, stood to profit because of bond investments.
On Monday, Ackman apologized for his criticism but reiterated his concerns about Trump’s tariffs.
“I am just frustrated watching what I believe to be a major policy error occur after our country and the president have been making huge economic progress that is now at risk due to the tariffs," he wrote on X.
Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox News Channel that Ackman should “ease off the rhetoric a little bit.”
He insisted that other countries, not the United States, are “going to bear the brunt of the tariffs.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, a top adviser to Trump on overhauling the federal government, expressed skepticism about tariffs over the weekend. Musk has said that tariffs would drive up costs for Tesla, his electric automaker.
“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said in a video conference with Italian politicians.
He added, “That certainly has been my advice to the president.”
Peter Navarro, a Trump trade adviser and tariff proponent, later told Fox News that Musk “doesn’t understand” the situation.
“He sells cars,” Navarro said. “That’s what he does.” He added that, “He’s simply protecting his own interests as any business person would do.”
Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
President Donald Trump arrives at the White House on Marine One, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn as he arrives at the White House on Marine One, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the White House on Marine One, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
