Trump facing 1st test in Africa amid bloody battles ‘over electric vehicle battery minerals’

JOHANNESBURG- Fighting reportedly implicit minerals needed for electrical cars and mobile phones has go the Trump administration’s archetypal existent overseas affairs trial successful Africa. 

Bodies prevarication rotting successful the streets, and hospitals person been overwhelmed with casualties successful Goma, a metropolis of 2 cardinal radical successful the eastbound portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). M23 rebels, backed, the United Nations and different sources say, by neighboring Rwanda, are said to person taken implicit the city. 

"The M23 appears to person taken power of a important information of the metropolis pursuing aggravated warring with the Congolese army," The United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated Wednesday, adding, "Reports person emerged of looting of shops, offices, and warehouses belonging to humanitarian organizations, portion dense gunfire and explosions person been heard successful assorted parts of the city." 

OCHA added "Local sources judge the civilian casualties are significant, though [an] appraisal is yet to beryllium conducted." Thirteen South African peacekeeping troops person been killed implicit the past week.

13 UN PEACEKEEPERS, ALLIED SOLDIERS DEAD IN CONGO AS M23 REBELS MAKE GAINS IN KEY CITY

March 23 Movement (M23) rebels stitchery for large-scale protests arsenic they acceptable connected occurrence the Rwandan, French, Belgian and Kenyan embassy buildings and loot immoderate buying centers during anti-Rwandan demonstrations allegedly supported by M23 and rebels successful Kinshasa, the superior of the Democratic Republic of Congo connected Jan. 28, 2025. (Chris Milosi/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., precocious stated successful portion that, "The M23 indispensable instantly halt their beforehand connected Goma, and each parties indispensable cease hostilities, reconstruct unhindered humanitarian access, and grant their commitments."

In the DRC’s capital, 10 overseas embassies, including the U.S. mission, have been attacked. Some, including the French Embassy, person been acceptable connected fire.

"The M23 oregon March 23 Movement is simply a Tutsi-led and eastern-DRC based insurgent question calved astir 2012", Frans Cronje, adviser astatine the U.S. Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, told Fox News Digital. He added "The ensuing struggle has been sustained for much than 3 decades, successful ample portion arsenic a effect of the bonzer mineral wealthiness of the DRC."

Cronje, who besides advises corporations and authorities departments connected economical and governmental trajectory, continued. "According to a United Nations report, M23 has raised important sums from 'taxing' minerals mined successful areas nether its power - a signifier communal to equipped groups operating successful the DRC."

President Donald Trump speaks astir the midair clang betwixt American Airlines Flight 5342 and a subject chopper successful Washington, successful the Brady Press Briefing Room astatine the White House connected Jan. 30, 2025 successful Washington, D.C. Trump was aboriginal asked astir the unit successful the DRC and called it a "very superior problem." (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

This is borne retired by a 160-page study commissioned by the U.N. Security Council from their "Group of Experts connected the Democratic Republic of the Congo", and presented to the assembly precocious past year.

The study states M23 and Rwanda Defence Force operatives successful the DRC captured "the Rubaya mining sites – 1 of the world’s largest sources of coltan – a mineral utilized successful EV batteries - connected 30 April 2024." 

M23 rebels patrol successful Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, connected Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

The U.N. study says the M23 joined up with different rebel group, the AFC (the Congo River Alliance), "and levied taxes and in-kind payments connected the merchantability and transport of minerals. The taxation connected a kilogram of coltan and manganese was $7, portion the taxation connected tin (cassiterite) was $4 per kilogram. AFC/M23 frankincense collected astatine slightest $800,000 monthly from the taxation of coltan accumulation and commercialized successful Rubaya."

Cronje pointed retired this week that determination are different precious metals M23 has its eyes connected too. "The DRC accounts for betwixt 70-80% of the world’s Cobalt production. Cobalt’s value is specified that the U.S. Department of Energy has listed it arsenic 1 of 7 minerals indispensable to U.S. economical competitiveness, portion the Department of Defense identified cobalt arsenic having ‘critical’ applications. Alongside that, the DRC is the third-largest shaper of copper successful the world, accounting for astir 11% of planetary production."

President Donald Trump spoke astir the warring connected Thursday. "It is simply a precise superior problem. I agree, but I don't deliberation it's due close present to speech astir it," erstwhile asked astir it during a briefing connected the deadly hose clang successful Washington, D.C., connected Thursday afternoon. 

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Boys said to beryllium mining for cobalt successful a excavation successful the Democratic Republic of Congo. (ILO/UNICEF)

However, the State Department is speaking connected the issue, calling for a ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Rwandan President Paul Kagame, "the United States is profoundly troubled by [the] escalation of the ongoing struggle successful eastbound DRC, peculiarly the autumn of Goma to the Rwandan backed M23 equipped group," spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated, adding "the caput urged an contiguous ceasefire successful the portion and for each parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity," adding that the overriding extremity of the United States is simply a durable bid that addresses information concerns and lays the instauration for a thriving determination economy." 

Kagame responded connected X, posting that his speech with Rubio was "productive." He said it covered "the request to guarantee a ceasefire successful (the) Eastern DRC, and code the basal causes of the struggle erstwhile and for all."

Kagame added, "I look guardant to moving with the Trump Administration to make the prosperity and information that the radical of our portion deserve."

"The M23 struggle is so astir minerals, but much truthful Rwandan ambition to power and administer overmuch of Congo's North Kivu", Bill Roggio, exertion of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital. "Rwanda would similar to power not lone the minerals, but besides the full commercialized successful the region, and flex its muscles arsenic a caller determination powerhouse successful cardinal and East Africa. Rwanda besides claims it is astir borderline security, but truly it’s much astir its ain geopolitical ambitions successful the region."

Roggio continued, saying that it "is somewhat related to the Biden administration's inability to bring some Congo and Rwanda to the array and negociate existent settlements, either done the Luanda Process oregon the earlier Nairobi Process." He added "especially it is simply a nonaccomplishment to enactment capable unit connected Rwanda to propulsion backmost its enactment for M23, arsenic the Obama medication had accomplished successful 2012 erstwhile M23 antecedently captured Goma, but were forced to retreat aft the U.S. pressured Rwanda."

For the caller administration, determination is simply a accidental present to make positive steps towards a affirmative bequest successful Africa. Michael Rubin told Fox News Digital, "For Trump and Rubio, they person the accidental to bash thing antithetic that could hole the occupation permanently." 

Rubin is simply a nonmigratory student astatine the American Enterprise Institute, and successful 2024 embedded for respective weeks with the M23 rebels. 

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Members of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission successful the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) thrust connected a pickup motortruck arsenic they unafraid the evacuation of non-essential UN staff, pursuing the combat betwixt M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, successful Goma, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, connected January 25, 2025. (Reuters/Arlette Bashizi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Rubin continued, "What we’ve had for excessively agelong is that aged explanation of insanity: doing the aforesaid happening repeatedly, but expecting antithetic results. There’s been 2 Congo wars, and if we effort to use the aforesaid band-aid to a sucking thorax coiled this time, determination volition beryllium a third."

The blasted should remainder not connected Rwanda, Rubin believes, but connected the DRC. "The communicative that the DRC is the unfortunate and Rwanda and Uganda aggressors is tired. The occupation is Kinshasa. If Tshisekedi (Felix Tshisekedi, DRC President) tin halt equipped groups successful the south, helium tin bash truthful successful the eastbound arsenic well. He turned to taste incitement to distract from incompetent government; that ne'er ends well."

Rubin added that "the arguments astir Rwanda looting the portion are not valid. Businessmen successful North Kivu, are blunt: Rwanda and Uganda complaint little successful customs duties than Kinshasa extracts successful taxes. Kinshasa cries wolf due to the fact that Kigali outcompetes them. If Kinshasa wanted businessmen to crook to them, effort lowering taxes and gathering plants to crook earthy materials into thing with higher merchantability value."

China and Russia basal connected the sidelines, waiting to take who they creation with to get the DRC’s minerals. China has spoken retired against the M23. It threatens their mining interests successful the country. Additionally, soldiers from Russia’s Africa Corps, the erstwhile Wagner Group's backstage service of mercenaries, person been seen successful Goma, propping up the DRC’s soldiers against the M23. 

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Cronje told Fox News Digital Russia and China are poised to perchance enactment the winner, saying "the geostrategic value of the portion is specified that each planetary powers person an involvement successful influencing the equilibrium of powerfulness successful eastbound DRC either straight oregon indirectly."