KIGALI (Reuters) – Rwanda said on Wednesday it was in talks with the U.S. over a potential minerals deal, a development that follows similar ongoing talks between Washington and Rwanda’s neighbour Democratic Republic of Congo.
Responding to a Reuters question on whether Kigali and Washington were discussing a mineral access deal, a Rwanda government spokesperson said: “Yes, this is part of the discussions that we are having with the U.S.”
She declined to provide any further details.
The U.S. is currently engaged in ongoing talks with Congo over a potential minerals-for-security deal.
Congo accuses Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s government of supporting the Tutsi-led M23 rebels who have seized a large swath of eastern Congo, a mineral-rich region that is plagued by violence.
(Reporting by Philbert Girinema; Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Gareth Jones)
