US proposes railway project to ease DRC tensions

A senior U.S. diplomat has revealed that Washington had proposed extending a significant railway infrastructure project into the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The U.S. has been backing the Lobito Corridor, a key transport route connecting the landlocked, resource-rich DRC and Zambia to a port on Angola’s Atlantic coast.

Molly Phee, the outgoing Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, stated that the proposal was intended as an incentive for securing a peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda.

However, she noted that Rwanda appeared to have distanced itself from the plan.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame notably skipped a summit in Luanda last December, held during U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Angola.

Eastern DRC has long been plagued by armed conflict, with over 120 armed groups vying for control over land, power, and lucrative mineral resources.

Among these groups are the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who have captured significant portions of the region.

While Kagame has denied any direct involvement in the fighting, the violence has displaced nearly two million people in the province, according to the United Nations.

Africanews/Patience Ameh