The Scoop
US President Donald Trump is set to name his daughter’s father-in-law as his special envoy for the Great Lakes region in East Africa, according to two people familiar with the plans. It comes as DR Congo, which is in the grip of one of Africa’s biggest conflicts, looks to strike a critical minerals deal with Washington.
Lebanon-born businessman Massad Boulos, whose son Michael is married to Trump’s daughter Tiffany, was appointed as Trump’s senior adviser for Arab Affairs in December. Boulos, who worked in his family’s Nigeria-based motor vehicle distribution company early in his career, is expected to receive security and diplomatic clearances as early as this week and could visit the Congolese capital Kinshasa and Rwanda’s capital Kigali later this month, said one of the people.
The White House did not respond to enquiries ahead of publication.
Know More
DR Congo, which covers an area larger than western Europe, is one of the world’s most resource-rich nations, home to copper and lithium reserves in the south, and cobalt and coltan in the east, minerals that are key to producing electric vehicles and smartphones.
The country’s armed forces are currently battling the rebel group M23 in eastern DR Congo. The Congolese have alleged that M23 insurgents, with Kigali’s backing, have commandeered the region’s mining facilities and siphoned out valuable minerals. Rwanda has repeatedly denied any involvement in the region but both the UN and the US say it is supporting the insurgency and move to expropriate minerals.
Several diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict — led by African neighbors, regional bodies, and the African Union — have so far foundered. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi recently called on the Trump administration to consider a rights deal with his resource-rich country.
DR Congo is keen on US involvement in the eastern region as a way to stop the fighting, its information minister said in an interview with Semafor over the weekend. “The United States can help us with peace through diplomatic means and powerful sanctions,” said Patrick Muyaya, the country’s spokesman.
Muyaya also called for the US to reconsider its dismantling of USAID. “They’ve been funding 70% of the humanitarian assistance in the east and the situation is getting worse because of the war there.” He said his country would hope for the White House to encourage more American investors to help “diversify” the players involved in DR Congo’s mining industry, which is currently dominated by Chinese companies.
Yinka’s view
One reason Boulos is being assigned to an African portfolio is that he spent a large portion of his early professional career and family life in Nigeria. After supporting Trump’s campaign to win over Arab Americans during the last election, he earned the trust of the president. Boulos is now seen as someone who could possibly be the president’s eyes and ears in a troubled and complex sub-region, which is also seen as ripe for the kind of dealmaking favored by this White House.
Tshisekedi, under pressure after losing control of large swaths of his country’s eastern region, is seen as increasingly desperate for a mineral rights deal with the US. Any potential agreement could also help Kinshasa in forcing the M23 to leave DR Congo as their presence would run counter to US interests.
But it’s difficult to seal deals without a senior Africa team in place at either the White House or State Department. This is likely why Boulos has been recruited now.
Support from the US would give DR Congo a better negotiating hand in working out a pact where all sides get some version of what they want. The Congolese naturally want to keep their sovereignty intact and generate revenue from their natural resources while the US is keen to reach an agreement that gives it access to minerals and pushes out Chinese players. It’s possible the Rwandans, who have said all along they are simply trying to protect themselves from invasion, might also be able to cut a lucrative deal in order to maintain peace.
Room for Disagreement
Several independent players, claiming to represent DR Congo, have been pitching up on Washington’s Capitol Hill in recent weeks offering to broker mineral rights deals between the US and the central African country. There has also been a letter circulating, purportedly from a Congolese senator, offering to kick-start rights talks. But two people close to the Congolese government told Semafor that reports the government was already in negotiations with the US were premature.
Step Back
M23 rebels have taken control of two major border cities, Goma and Bukavu, in recent months. More than 8,000 people have been killed in fighting since January and tens of thousands others have been displaced from their homes.
In his first presidential term, Trump appointed J. Peter Pham as the Great Lakes region special envoy. Pham is now widely tipped to take the administration’s top Africa job as assistant secretary of state for African Affairs.
Notable
• DR Congo’s president looks to make a minerals deal with the US, The New York Times reported.
• DR Congo seeks military support from the US against the M23 rebel offensive, the Financial Times reported.