Africa Aware: Can minerals buy peace in the DRC?

Christian-Géraud Neema and Joshua Walker discuss how the short and long-term implications of the DRC’s pivot to the US are affecting its strategic autonomy, mining sovereignty, and what it means for President Tshisekedi’s political options.

Audio

Published 31 March 2026

Updated 9 June 2026 — 35 minute listen

Christian-Géraud Neema

Africa Editor, The China Global South Project; Non-resident Scholar, Africa Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

As a key mediator in the ongoing conflict in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States has brokered peace agreements backed by security guarantees and by the investment potential of the country’s vast mineral wealth. 

However, critics warn this ‘minerals for peace’ approach risks overlooking unresolved issues – from the protection of minority rights to the limited role of the African Union, and fragile state-society relations in the DRC. 

In this episode, Christian-Géraud Neema and Joshua Walker join the Africa Programme’s Romane Dideberg and Lisa Musumba to discuss how the short and long-term implications of the DRC’s pivot to the US are affecting its strategic autonomy, mining sovereignty, and what it means for President Tshisekedi’s political options. 

About Africa Aware 

Africa Aware is a podcast from the Chatham House Africa Programme bringing together leading international experts to provide in-depth analysis and sharp insights on the political, economic and social issues shaping African countries, their international relations and the continent as a whole.

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