A group of Congolese lawyers and human rights defenders, alongside NGOs, has asked the Constitutional Court to annul the strategic partnership agreement signed with the United States on December 4, 2025. Their petition was filed on Wednesday, June 21, 2025, at the offices of the Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The “Washington Agreement on Strategic Minerals” refers to a strategic partnership signed in December 2025 between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the United States, aimed at regulating US access to critical minerals (cobalt, copper, etc.) to secure supply chains for the benefit of the US market.

“The aforementioned agreement was never submitted to the Congolese people, as the primary sovereign authority, nor was its content disclosed,” states the petition. “The people find it difficult to know what the Congolese state has actually committed to, and what the interests and future consequences of this agreement are; In short, our ability to manage our strategic minerals and our sovereignty are being undermined,” the document continues.

“The DRC is offering manganese, copper-cobalt, and lithium assets to American investors as part of a minerals agreement. Washington is seeking to reduce its dependence on China for critical minerals,” Reuters reports in one of its investigations.

The Constitutional Court has received the petition. It remains to be seen what will become of this request. In the DRC, the Constitutional Court has supreme authority to review the constitutionality of international treaties and agreements, ruling on their conformity with the Constitution prior to ratification, thereby ensuring that these acts do not violate the country’s fundamental laws, and ensuring the balance of powers during their validation.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma