Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and Acting Chargé d’Affaires, welcomed the holding of the general debate in the UN Security Council on energy and critical minerals issues in the world. Speaking on Thursday, March 5, 2026, after Greece, the Deputy Permanent Representative of France emphasized the importance of the Security Council addressing these issues, as they pose threats to international peace and security.
Using the example of the African continent, the French diplomat demonstrated how global competition for mineral resources can become a factor of conflict and instability, as well as a source of revenue to fuel these conflicts. To support his argument, Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari mentioned the case of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a significant part of which is controlled by the rebel group AFC/M23 supported by Rwanda, indicating that the area under rebel control represents between 15 and 30% of the global coltan production.
“Competition for control of these resources is indeed a factor of conflict and instability, as well as a source of revenue to fuel them. We see this in Africa, where the immense wealth of the continent is plundered by armed groups who exploit them to finance their activities, engaging in looting on behalf of powers outside the continent. This seizing of resources by armed groups fuels violence, prolongs conflicts, and perpetuates the suffering of civilian populations. This is the case, for example, in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the M23 controls between 15 and 30% of the global coltan production, thus financing its own expansion,” stated Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations.
Alerting the United Nations to the dangers facing the world, the French representative at the UN estimated that things must change, denouncing a predatory model that hinders the economic and social development of states, depriving them of the wealth of their own lands. Also referring to the case of Ukraine, the French diplomat accused Russia of actively disrupting the Ukrainian energy sector.
“In the longer term, these spoliations hinder the economic and social development of states, depriving them of the wealth of their own lands. Energy is also used as a tool of coercion and as a weapon in conflicts. In its aggressive war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year, Russia carries out indiscriminate strikes against the energy network and infrastructure, intentionally seeking to provoke a humanitarian crisis in the midst of winter,” denounced the French diplomat during his intervention before the members of the UN Security Council.
This session comes at a time when the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is facing Rwandan aggression through the rebellion of AFC/M23, which occupies vast areas of the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. In the background of these repeated aggressions, Kinshasa has long seen them as economic wars, according to Congolese authorities, with the primary goal being the plundering and illicit exploitation of raw materials in the DRC, while providing military support to rebel groups, as is currently the case with the AFC/M23 rebellion.
From Kigali’s side, these accusations are rejected. For over thirty years, Rwanda has cited the threat posed by the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), which it views as a security threat due to their genocidal ideology. Regarding its military support for the AFC/M23 rebellion, Rwanda has always denied it, despite several pieces of evidence, including reports from UN experts and various international organizations. Kigali believes that the tensions between Kinshasa and AFC/M23 stem from an internal crisis related to alleged mistreatment of the Tutsi community.
These various issues have been addressed within the Washington and Doha processes, dealing with tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali, as well as the crisis between Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 rebellion. Despite these initiatives led by the United States and Qatar with the support of the African Union, concrete results are struggling to materialize, and hostilities continue on the ground, endangering civilian populations and worsening an already precarious humanitarian situation, amid a declining trend in international funding for humanitarian aid.
Clément MUAMBA
