Let’s take a breather from the Russian Reach series and talk about something going on in Africa. Specifically, we’ll be looking at the escalating conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rwanda is a small but densely populated country, with a history of sending militias into neighboring Congo. This latest offensive led by M23 has been making a significant push toward the Katanga region, home to one of the world’s largest copper-cobalt deposits. Since the DRC produces roughly 75% of the world’s cobalt, this has obviously caught the attention of some bigger players.
China and South Africa are the main operators in the region as of now, but the Congolese government has offered the US exclusive oversight of the copper-cobalt belt in exchange for protection against Rwanda. Should Trump care to set out on this endeavor, it will be a large undertaking. The US would have to partner with Angola or Mozambique to tap into South Africa’s transportation network or build new infrastructure in eastern Congo (which would be challenging).
This conflict could spiral into a major war – one akin to previous conflicts in the region, killing millions and involving numerous foreign powers. And given the rising tensions between the US and China, we could be staring down a geopolitical flashpoint.
