https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250401/washingtons-actions-with-ukraine-resemble-belgiums-exploitation-of-drc-in-the-past-says-academic-1071387807.html
Washington's Actions With Ukraine Resemble Belgium’s Exploitation of DRC in the Past, Says Academic
Washington's Actions With Ukraine Resemble Belgium’s Exploitation of DRC in the Past, Says Academic
Sputnik Africa
After discussions on March 11, the US and Ukraine decided to sign a wide-ranging agreement focused on the development of Ukraine's mineral resources, as stated... 01.04.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-04-01T19:01+0200
2025-04-01T19:01+0200
2025-04-02T09:16+0200
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The United States is taking advantage of Ukraine’s weakness to secure a minerals deal, reminiscent of methods used during the colonial exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by Belgium, Alphonse Maindo, a political science professor at the University of Kisangani, told Sputnik Africa.The agreement by the Trump administration on rare earth minerals in Ukraine constitutes “predation,” and Bloomberg is correct in comparing it to Belgium’s colonial exploitation of the DRC, Maindo affirmed.This situation evokes memories of “the mining, forestry, or agricultural concessions granted to colonists, who essentially wielded state-like power” during the colonial era, he added.According to Maindo, much like what happened to the DRC, the US-Ukraine agreement will weaken Ukraine, leading to:A coherent exploitation of natural resources requires a “strong state” and “patriotic and sovereignty-minded elites,” the academic highlighted.
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Washington's Actions With Ukraine Resemble Belgium’s Exploitation of DRC in the Past, Says Academic
19:01 01.04.2025 (Updated: 09:16 02.04.2025) Christina Glazkova
Writer / Editor
After discussions on March 11, the US and Ukraine decided to sign a wide-ranging agreement focused on the development of Ukraine's mineral resources, as stated in an official announcement on the website of Zelensky's office.
The United States is taking advantage of Ukraine’s weakness to secure a minerals deal, reminiscent of methods used during the colonial exploitation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by Belgium, Alphonse Maindo, a political science professor at the University of Kisangani, told Sputnik Africa.
The agreement by the Trump administration on rare earth minerals in Ukraine constitutes “predation,” and Bloomberg is correct in comparing it to Belgium’s colonial exploitation of the DRC, Maindo affirmed.
“The only difference is that Ukraine is a sovereign state currently in a war situation. At that time, the DRC was not in a strict war situation. There was no state as such—it was addressed later,” he noted.
This situation evokes memories of “the mining, forestry, or agricultural concessions granted to colonists, who essentially wielded state-like power” during the colonial era, he added.
According to Maindo, much like what happened to the DRC, the US-Ukraine agreement will weaken Ukraine, leading to:
The depletion of strategic mineral resources;
The pollution of arable land used for agriculture;
A loss of state sovereignty and vassalization.
A coherent exploitation of natural resources requires a “strong state” and “patriotic and sovereignty-minded elites,” the academic highlighted.
"And when the resources are depleted, the people will be left with a destroyed country, with lands polluted by mining operations, and it will take billions to clean them up so they can be used for agriculture," he concluded.
