Dear Supporter,

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with its abundance of natural resources vital to promising green technologies, holds the key to many of the world’s climate crisis solutions. Unfortunately, this resource wealth has placed the DRC at the center of an economic power competition. Many of the DRC’s mineral mining concessions are controlled by companies based in China and other countries less focused on responsible business practices, casting doubt that the Congolese people will be the primary beneficiaries of this potential economic and environmental boon.

In “Reconcilable Differences: Portraits of Challenging U.S. Partnerships” from the Wilson Center’s latest quarterly, The Sentry’s Senior DRC Policy Advisor Floribert Anzuluni and I outline the challenges facing the US and other countries more focused on responsible business, as they attempt to alleviate an economic proxy war and forge a path forward that best serves the Congolese people. Battling corruption, initiating structural reform, and introducing accountability measures all have a role to play, and the DRC, United States, and other partners must work together to produce real change.

Too often, the DRC has been at the epicenter of violence and conflict stemming from foreign exploitation of the country’s resources. In a two-part documentary series, the Israeli TV program “Zman emet” (“Moment of Truth”) dives into the history of mining in the DRC, the actions of billionaire businessman Dan Gertler, infamous for his involvement in corrupt mining schemes in the country, and sanctions evasion as enabled by senior Israeli government officials. The first and second parts of the series include interviews with Floribert, me, and our friends at Resource Matters.

The DRC’s natural resource wealth offers great possibilities but also great challenges, and how we choose to address them will not only impact the United States’ sustainability goals, but the future of the Congolese people as well.

Sincerely,

Brad Brooks-Rubin
Senior Advisor