The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has historically served as a primary hindquarter of European colonialism, particularly under King Leopold II and later the Belgian state. Its vast natural resources were extracted through exceptionally brutal methods, turning the territory into one of the most exploited—yet poorest—nations on earth. ALSO READ: In Kinshasa incitement to hatred is indiscipline The impoverished country supplies 70 percent of the world’s cobalt, used in solder for circuit boards in electronics, with estimated deposits of 6 million metric tons. It provides 20 percent of the global supply of industrial-grade diamonds, used for cutting tools, drilling, and high-tech applications, with deposits estimated at 150 million carats. The country produces 10 percent of the world’s copper, essential for electrical infrastructure, wiring, and renewable energy systems, with estimated reserves of 75 million metric tons. It also supplies 4 percent of global lithium, a key component in lithium-ion batteries for laptops, smartphones, and electric vehicles, among many other uses. ALSO READ: Belgian lawyer on why genocide ideology doesn’t dissolve three decades after dispersion of genocidaires In the 19th century, rubber, ivory, copper, cobalt, diamonds, and uranium were the minerals most sought by Western powers in the Congo Free State under King Leopold II. Shaba—then Katanga—being the richest province in these resources, became a battlefield for colonial competition. Today, the world still covets DR Congo’s minerals, but the focus has shifted to the “3TG” minerals: tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold. These resources are essential to the modern world, as they are foundational components in the manufacturing of high-tech electronics, automotive parts, and industrial tools. They are critical to the functioning of everyday devices such as smartphones, computers, laptops, and medical equipment, making the Kivu provinces the primary mining destination for Western powers. ALSO READ: How Kangura inspired Ekenge and FARDC This leads to the central question: Can the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) movement seize this opportunity and place DR Congo on the map of great nations? For pessimists and those with colonial mindsets, the answer is no. But for optimists and pan-Africanists, the answer is yes. DR Congo’s vast mineral wealth has the potential to make it a great nation. However, mismanagement, corruption, conflict, weak infrastructure, and exploitation by foreign interests have prevented this potential from being realized, keeping the country impoverished despite its resource abundance—a paradox commonly referred to as the “resource curse.” ALSO READ: ‘Blood minerals’ in DR Congo: Myth or reality? Alex Mvuka, a researcher and analyst on the Great Lakes Region, recently wrote, on X: “The international community wants to push the DR Congo from being a failed state to becoming the Haiti of Africa. Their imposed solutions appear to be designed specifically to create chaos, as in Haiti.” The reason the international community is pushing DR Congo from a failed state toward becoming the Haiti of Africa is to continue exploiting its immense mineral wealth. Unfortunately, no one can stop this process except the Congolese people themselves. The so-called international community does not care how many Congolese are killed for being Tutsi in Rutshuru territory, how many houses are burned in Masisi by the Mai-Mai, or how many women are raped in Minembwe by the Wazalendo. What they care about is what they can extract from their mining sites. Preventing DR Congo from suffering a total collapse similar to Haiti requires a responsible government in Kinshasa—one capable of reforming the security forces, rooting out corruption, and ending ethnicism and tribalism. Until now, AFC/M23 has positioned itself as an alternative to what it describes as a dysfunctional government in Kinshasa. Despite resistance from a coalition consisting of FARDC, FDLR, Wazalendo, Mai-Mai, and foreign mercenaries, AFC/M23 has continued to make a difference in territories under its control in eastern DR Congo. In January 2025, it seized Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, before advancing toward South Kivu’s capital, Bukavu, which it captured a month later. On December 10, 2025, the movement took control of the city of Uvira before withdrawing on January 17, 2026. Today, Uvira is occupied by FARDC, Burundian forces, Wazalendo, Mai-Mai, the Rwandan genocidaires known as FDLR, and foreign mercenaries—this time not from Romania, but from Colombia and the United States—whom the West uses to turn the country into the Haiti of Africa. Just one day after AFC/M23’s withdrawal from Uvira, state-sponsored violence reached its peak. The AFC/M23 should take the risk of assuming power if it truly wants to save DR Congo—a risk that could save the Congolese people, prevent the country from becoming the Haiti of Africa, transform it into a great nation, and place it on the map of dignified nations. I believe they can do so, for they have the will.
