🇺🇲🇨🇩Black Water founder and Trump enthusiast Erik Prince has agreed to help Democratic Republic of Congo ‘secure’ and ‘tax’ its vast mineral wealth, according to two sources close to the private security executive, a Congolese government official and two diplomats.
The agreement, aimed at reaping more revenue from an industry marred by smuggling and corruption, was reached before Rwanda-backed M23 rebels launched a major offensive in January that has seen them seize eastern Congo’s two largest cities.
The discussions now on implementing the deal with Prince come as the US and Congo explore a broader deal on critical minerals partnerships, after Congo pitched a minerals-for-security deal to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
It’s yet to be seen how practical this deal would be given the geopolitical complexity in the Congo.
@DDGeopolitics
The agreement, aimed at reaping more revenue from an industry marred by smuggling and corruption, was reached before Rwanda-backed M23 rebels launched a major offensive in January that has seen them seize eastern Congo’s two largest cities.
The discussions now on implementing the deal with Prince come as the US and Congo explore a broader deal on critical minerals partnerships, after Congo pitched a minerals-for-security deal to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
It’s yet to be seen how practical this deal would be given the geopolitical complexity in the Congo.
@DDGeopolitics