So we were going to talk about this last week before a deal had actually been signed between Rwanda and the DRC pens put to paper on Friday in Washington, DC. So an agreement is in place, but already many many questions are being asked about the deal, some suggesting, for example, that while it is very very clear about economic opportunities that might be unlocked, it's less clear about how to deal with some of the root causes of a conflict
that's run for three years. Well, someone who's been keeping a very very close eye on the relationship between the fact that this is an extremely mineral rich area of our continent and the wars that have been going on for so long is my guest. Or Jewile is regional coordinator at the Institute for Security Studies in Dakar in Senegal. Mister Wile, welcome and thanks very much for giving us
your time. What do you make of this deal? I mean, for example, people have said, well, if M twenty three is a competent, why were they not part of the talks.
Thank you so much for having me. I think Anty three is already represented in the conversation as long as Ruanda is on the table, because there is sufficient reports out there to serve I mean that I'm showing that the critical backer for the anternitares the Ruanda government, including reports from the United Nations. There's no debate around that.
Yes.
Now, what I think is very very important is we need to understand the fact that this negotiation is lacking in or trism. So there is not there's no one who is actually on the table, including the supermediator or the United State of America, that is in this negotiation for the purpose about trism. There is an economic incentive for participation, access to the criticalmine era and why that
is very very important. It does not address the gamut of issues that gave rise to this conflict in the first place, because they are rooted in identity polities, deeply sociological, and with a very long history. Anyone who has been following the crisis, we know that it has been an episodic experience in the last ten years, thirty years, so
to speak. But what I can say is that because of the process of the United State of America in this negotiations, we might be able to experience what I would consider like a punctuated peace for now.
So we've got this for Now, what about the economic conversations underlying all of this, Because I've read over a number of years the United States extremely concerned by what they perceived to be a growing Chinese global monopoly of certain crucial minerals, and minerals crucial to where we expect economies to move in coming years. Is this a direct play by the United States to get access to colt and copper and so on.
Of course, you know, Donald Trump is a deal man, and everywhere it goes to talk about make the D, makeing D make D. So there is also the heart of the deal in this negotiation that is going on. And that is the reason why I said earlier that the United States of America the issue hope in this guy and this negotiation just for the purpose of altruism, whether it is the Ukraine, the overacking foreign foreign policy that is midwife, the entire process is about access to
critical minials. And the same thing in DRC. It is agreeably the most endown country on the continent, naming from Cobert to Deermond to Gold. So it is in the interest of any major power to show interest in what happens in DARC. And you know, we've had the failed
under process, Nairobi process, Direstalam process, even Sadic intervention. And I think the reason why the United States is able to mostart through this is the fact that you don't have a superpower that is monitoring, mediating the process and also has varieties of two kids to deal with compliance
issues with the content of the agreement. Equalin functions on any world any of the party that probably force us or fails to comply, and at the streme cases there is the need to even put the boots on the ground boat and very soon that we shouldn't get to
that extent. So it goes to show that when there's economic interest, the state is definitely going to put all resources together to ensure that the peace to be able to ex explore and our next that resurfice is it going to be for the greater benefit of the Gongolise.
The jury is out there, but I think what is important is that an average person in Eastern DRC desperately one piece now and might likely going to treat anything for that to ensure that they can live in peace in Goma and Bukavu and all these places that have come under the control of MP three and how their various hand groups in the recent time.
So Miss Joli has often said that you don't get anything at the table that you don't have in the field. That doesn't stop people, of course, who may not have any significant muscle or effectiveness in the field, from finding
themselves at a negotiating table. If you look at this from the perspective those the DRC government, how how much capacity does this in any way enhance their capacity to reassert control over these parts of the of their country that I think it's fair to say they've already lost control over.
As he spounds in terms of military capability, it is very unlikely that with doubt the non kinetic solution like this piece agreement, that the government of the DRC is going to gain even an hint again, So I think that is the reason why a few days to the signing of the agreement we started hearing about Harpers about saying, oh the soldier the Rwandi forces must be we drawn from within the Combolic territory before they will go ahead
to go and find the agreement. I don't forget that even Felitis A. Kady originally when he was Morelady's idea about inviting the United States to midwive the process. What he offered his mineral for security guarantee. I think it is in there regard that the States might be able to have some reclamation about the from the lost gun. For much more than that is the fact that even if they want to go through the route, it's a temporary respite because the fundamental issues of the Bayom Link
needs to be addressed. They where do they belong, where do they stand out? Does the state want to treat them? And this bearment that has emerged in terms of a major you can't call that a conventional ham group any longer. I'm talking about him and the three looking at the sophification of the weapons that they've been using in the recent time, These non state armed group, it's not even in the category of the regular I don't know what to put them, because this is that is that has
the sufficient capability to challenge the States to sanity. I mean, it's about just playing them like an harming, a foreign harmy so to speak, that has not taken over the place. It's very very likely that a military solution is going to give the Democratic Republic of Congo reclamation of an hinch as thing stands for.
Now, Thank you so much. Je will joining us from the Institute for Security Studies in Senegal. He spent expensive, extensive time periods in the Eastern DRC looking at the relationship between that country's minerals and riches and on the one hand, and an absolutely unstable political reality on the other. If you live in either of the country, or perhaps have family in that part of the DRC, give us your thoughts. There are mixed reactions. Some people are saying
this is a step in the right direction. Skepticism, though, is running far and deep, so do give us a call on that if you want to add something to what we've just heard. Double one A three seven two