Rep. Ilhan Omar recently chaired the first-ever U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group meeting of the 119th Congress, tackling the worsening human rights and humanitarian crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). With escalating violence from militia groups, particularly the Rwanda-backed M23, Goma, a key city in the DRC, was taken over, leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Experts agree that the violence is driven by a scramble for the DRC’s rich mineral resources, such as cobalt, copper, and coltan.
Iza Camarillo from Global Trade Watch shared findings from a recent report connecting the violence to a cycle of poverty and resource scarcity, worsened by unfair trade practices. She warned that proposed mineral agreements, like the one the Trump administration is reportedly considering with the DRC, could deepen the exploitation of these resource-rich countries.
Camarillo described how the DRC, sitting on $24 trillion in mineral reserves, remains one of the poorest nations due to a long history of exploitation, where most of the mineral wealth benefits foreign companies, not the local population. She emphasized that without fair trade policies, the DRC and other African nations continue to lose out, unable to process and add value to their resources before exporting them. This means that while Africa has the minerals powering the tech and clean energy industries, they get minimal economic benefit from them.
She also pointed out that trade agreements often prevent these countries from using export restrictions to keep more of their resources within the continent for processing, which would boost local economies and create jobs. Instead, they’re left trapped in a system of dependence, where foreign companies profit while local communities bear the environmental and social costs of mining.
The environmental toll in the DRC is severe: deforestation, water pollution, and soil degradation have become the norm. The people living near mining sites face dangerous working conditions, child labor, and severe exploitation, often with little to no pay.
Camarillo urged U.S. policymakers to avoid perpetuating this cycle of exploitation. If the U.S. proceeds with a minerals-for-security deal with the DRC, it should ensure that the country has the freedom to implement policies that can promote sustainable development and local economic growth. Without these protections, history shows that countries like the DRC will continue to be exploited by powerful foreign entities under the guise of “cooperation.”
