Tensions rise in Congo as Church leaders denounce a U.S.-DRC minerals pact as a new form of colonialism; government calls criticism unfounded.
Newsroom (30/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) The fragile relationship between the Congolese state and the Catholic Church has entered one of its tensest phases in years, following the government’s new strategic minerals agreement with the United States. Signed on December 4, the deal grants Washington privileged access to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s vast deposits of cobalt, copper, lithium, and gold—resources central to the global clean energy transition and Western industrial supply chains.
For President Félix Tshisekedi’s government, the accord marks a diplomatic and economic milestone. Officials describe it as a sign of renewed international trust and a “historic opportunity” to transform the country’s mineral wealth into structural growth. Within 30 days of the agreement’s entry into force, the DRC is expected to identify its “Designated Strategic Projects”—key mining ventures that could qualify for American investment. A Strategic Asset Reserve (SAR) will also be created, granting the U.S. first-offer rights on mineral projects covered by the reserve. The plans extend to infrastructure, including rehabilitation of the vital Sakania–Lobito railway linking Congo and Angola, a key export route for Katanga’s mineral output.
But to the Catholic bishops, this moment represents something darker. Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu of Lubumbashi, who heads the Congolese Bishops’ Conference, has warned that the agreement amounts to “mortgaging the nation’s future” under the guise of partnership. Calling it an alliance built on “false friendship,” the prelate likened it to a new colonialism in which the United States reaps the spoils while Congo sacrifices sovereignty and intergenerational justice.
“How can we mortgage the future of a nation for 99 years?” Muteba asked, referencing what he said was the duration of an alleged exploitation clause. To him, the pact serves not the Congolese people but “a regime seeking survival,” with young generations paying the price. He invoked Pope Francis’s critiques of global capitalism to argue that such deals perpetuate a “logic of predation,” feeding off Africa’s natural wealth without building lasting development.
The archbishop’s skepticism is not limited to U.S. involvement. Drawing on his role in recent peace negotiations in Doha between the DRC government and the M23 rebel group, Muteba recalled how foreign mediators quickly shifted from peace talk to mineral interests. “I went to Doha to seek peace,” he said, “and what I saw in the eyes of that oil-rich country was not primarily a desire to bring us peace… After talking about peace, they immediately started asking us questions about minerals.”
Government officials have pushed back sharply. Communication Minister Patrick Muyaya dismissed the bishops’ accusations as “factual untruths,” insisting the agreement contains no transfer of mine ownership, no sell-off of resources, and no infringement on sovereignty. He said the framework merely sets principles for transparent cooperation, leaving the Congolese state “free to reject any project contrary to the national interest.”
Outside Congo, church-linked voices have echoed Muteba’s alarm. Johan Viljoen, director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute of the South African Bishops’ Conference, told Crux he “100% agrees with the bishops.” Citing parallels with Iraq and Mozambique, Viljoen argued the U.S. model inevitably extracts profits at the expense of host nations. “They will get their big companies in,” he said. “They’ll mine all the critical minerals, export to America, repatriate earnings—and Congo will be left poor.”
He pointed to Mozambique’s experience, where international mining firms reportedly paid less than a quarter of due taxes in 2024. “If that’s an indication,” Viljoen warned, “the government of Congo won’t even get that minimal benefit.”
The standoff between church and state reveals more than a policy disagreement; it lays bare a moral and political struggle over Congo’s future. To its defenders, the U.S. agreement could integrate the DRC into the global green economy, unlocking long-stalled development. To its critics, it is yet another reminder that Congo’s mineral wealth—long the source of envy, conflict, and exploitation—remains both its greatest promise and its greatest curse.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now
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