The leader of a rebel group that has seized two key cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo has said international sanctions and a proposed mineral deal offered by the US will not stop fighting between its fighters and Congolese forces in the affected region.
With such sanctions and the rewards offered by the Democratic Republic of Congo's government for the capture of rebel leaders, “we will fight as people who have nothing to lose to ensure the future of our nation,” Cornel Nanga, leader of the Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes the M23 rebel group, told The Associated Press.
Mr Nanga also rejected claims by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi last week that his country was seeking a mining partnership with the US that would bring peace and stability to both countries.
Since a major escalation in the decade-long conflict with Congolese forces began in late January, M23 rebels have seized the cities of Goma and Bukavu and several other towns in the Democratic Republic of Congo, forcing thousands of soldiers to either flee or surrender, raising fears of a possible regional war involving neighbors whose troops are also on the ground.
Much of the Democratic Republic of Congo's $24 trillion (£18.5 trillion) mineral resources, which are critical to much of the world's technology, remain untapped, according to US Commerce Department data last year.
The U.S. government has made no official statement about the proposed minerals deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which local experts say could be analogous to the Trump administration's offer to help Ukraine end its war with Russia.
“This is a problem that should be addressed more actively by the Congolese themselves, rather than by foreigners with different geopolitical interests,” Mr. Nanga told the AP over the weekend.
“An attempt to bribe the US using mines could damage the US's reputation.”
Efforts to broker a ceasefire collapsed last week after rebels walked out of Angolan-led talks, denouncing European Union sanctions against their leaders.
Mr Nanga also rejected the results of the meeting between Congolese and Rwandan leaders in Qatar, stressing that such an initiative to achieve peace without the group's participation is doomed to failure and that the rebels can only negotiate with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo if the country acknowledges their grievances and the root causes of the conflict.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
