Officials in Congo are hopeful that ongoing negotiations with the United States will yield a landmark investment agreement in critical minerals, alongside a peace deal with Rwanda to end a deadly rebellion in eastern Congo, by the end of June.
Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo are expressing confidence that a dual agreement with the United States - encompassing both strategic investment in critical minerals and U.S.-brokered support for a peace deal with Rwanda - could be finalized by the end of June, according to a Financial Times report published on Sunday.
Key Congolese minerals such as tin, tantalum, and tungsten - resources Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of smuggling - may be exported legally to Rwanda for processing as part of the peace framework currently under U.S. negotiation, Reuters reported last week.
Sources close to the negotiations told FT that a minerals investment deal with Washington, along with a separate peace accord with Kigali, could be signed by late June. However, significant obstacles still remain, the report noted.
DRC’s Minister of Mines, Kizito Pakabomba, emphasized that a partnership with the United States would help reduce the nation’s heavy reliance on China in developing its mineral sector. “An agreement with the U.S. would help diversify our partnerships,” he said.
The Congolese government blames the ongoing conflict in its eastern provinces on the illegal exploitation and smuggling of its minerals, accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group and profiting from tens of millions of dollars in illicit exports each month.
Massad Boulos, senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump and a key figure in the negotiations, stated earlier this month that Washington is pushing for a peace accord between Kinshasa and Kigali this summer, potentially unlocking billions of dollars in Western investment for the region’s mineral-rich economy.
Responding to the developments, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo reiterated Rwanda's security stance, stating that its defensive operations along the DRC border would remain necessary “as long as threats and insecurity persist.”
The U.S. State Department has not yet responded to requests for comment on the ongoing talks.
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Kyrgyzstan is preparing to hold snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, 30 November 2025, after the Jogorku Kenesh (parliament) dissolved itself in September.
The Spanish agricultural sector has been placed on high alert following the confirmation that African Swine Fever (ASF) has resurfaced in the country for the first time in over thirty years.
The Japanese government is preparing to host a landmark summit with the leaders of the Central Asian states, expected to take place in Tokyo in December 2025.
The Kremlin is set to evaluate a new diplomatic proposal aimed at halting the hostilities in Ukraine, with high-level discussions involving a Washington envoy scheduled for the coming days in Moscow.
At least 47 people have died and another 21 are reported missing following ten days of heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides across Sri Lanka, local media reported on Thursday (27 November).
Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations on Friday after the city's worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex, killing at least 128 people, injuring 79 and leaving around 200 still missing.
A passenger aircraft from Polish carrier LOT veered off a taxiway at Lithuania's Vilnius airport after arriving from Warsaw on Wednesday, halting all traffic, the airport operator said.
Netflix crashed on Wednesday for about an hour in the U.S. as it launched season five of "Stranger Things", with the service becoming inaccessible to many subscribers within minutes of the episodes going live at 8 p.m. local time.
Thousands of Bulgarians took to the streets of Sofia on Wednesday to protest against the government’s draft budget for 2026, the first to be prepared in euros ahead of the country’s planned eurozone entry on 1 January 2026.
The Kremlin is set to evaluate a new diplomatic proposal aimed at halting the hostilities in Ukraine, with high-level discussions involving a Washington envoy scheduled for the coming days in Moscow.
The European Union’s high-stakes strategy to leverage hundreds of billions in frozen Russian capital to prop up Ukraine’s defence has hit a critical roadblock, with Belgium warning that the move could torpedo fragile diplomatic openings aimed at ending the conflict.
A simmering diplomatic feud between Washington and Pretoria has erupted into a full-scale crisis, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa describing U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to ban South Africa from the 2026 G20 summit as "regrettable" and based on "misinformation."
Making his diplomatic debut in Türkiye, the first American Pope warned a "piecemeal" World War III endangers humanity. Leo XIV met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed on Thursday (27 November), urging an end to global conflicts.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 28th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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