KAMPALA- President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Monday welcomed Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump, along with his delegation.
The President and his visitors discussed the security situation in the region, particularly in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as opportunities for American businesses to invest in Uganda.
President Museveni extend a warm welcome to them and said that Uganda is willing to work with the US to end the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the US and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in talks over a minerals deal.
“You have heard about a minerals agreement. We have reviewed the Congo’s proposal. I am happy to announce that the president and I have agreed on a path forward for its development,” US senior adviser for Africa Massad Boulos said.
Massad Boulos was recently in Kinshasa where he held a meeting Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and later flew to Kenya where he also held talks with President William Ruto.
Democratic Republic of Congo is home to vast natural reserves like lithium which is essential for battery and electric vehicle production and is currently embroiled in a violent conflict with Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have seized large areas of territory this year.
President Tshisekedi believes US involvement in extracting the minerals could help quell the violence that has plagued the east of the country for nearly 30 years and currently, Congo’s mineral wealth is largely dominated by Chinese firms and putting aside security reasons, there are also economic motivations for pursuing the deal.
The US State Department said the aim of Mr Boulos’ trip was to advance efforts for durable peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and to promote US private sector investment in the East Africa region and that’s why he visited Uganda and Kenya.
