Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi offered United States President Donald Trump his country's critical minerals in exchange for the US help in defeating the Rwandan-backed March 23 (M23) rebel group, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing Tshisekedi's letter to Trump.
"Your election has ushered in the golden age for America," Tshisekedi reportedly said in the letter sent on February 8. "Our partnership would provide the US with a strategic advantage by securing critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper and tantalum from the Democratic Republic of Congo," he added, asking the US president for a "formal security pact" in return.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously called for an immediate ceasefire between DR Congo and Rwanda, shortly after the M23 group took over Goma, a city in the eastern part of DR Congo.