Authorities have accused him of treason and war crimes, saying there was a "substantial body of documents, testimony and material facts" linking Kabila to the M23 armed group, which has taken control of several towns in the mineral-rich east.

During talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Washington on May 21, 2025, Donald Trump screened a video meant to support unfounded claims of the "persecution" of white farmers. This included aerial footage showing white crosses lining a road filled with a convoy of vehicles.

After decades of conflict between two African countries, President Trump and an adviser said the two sides, with U.S. help, had created an agreement that was now being finalized.

The U.S. is pushing for a deal aimed at stabilizing eastern Congo while securing access to the region’s minerals. Washington should think bigger.

The image came from a video that showed humanitarian workers lifting body bags in the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Trump falsely presented the photo as evidence of mass killings of white South Africans.

Nestled in the green hills of Masisi territory in Congo, at the artisanal Rubaya mining site, hundreds of men labor by hand to extract coltan, a key mineral crucial for producing modern electronics and defense technology.

The withdrawal from Congo has been mired in controversy, amid media reports alleging that SADC is neglecting soldiers still left behind in the DRC.

Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighbouring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.