Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari addresses UN Security Council on energy and critical minerals
Ambassador Jay Dharmadhikari, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations and acting Charge d’Affaires, welcomed the general debate at the UN Security Council on issues related to energy and critical minerals worldwide. 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 Africa as an example, the French diplomat illustrated how global competition over mineral resources can be a factor in 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 eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where a significant portion is controlled by the rebel group AFC/M23 supported by Rwanda, stating that the rebel-controlled area 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 sustain them. We see it in Africa, where the vast riches of the continent are prey to armed groups that exploit them to fund their activities, organize looting on behalf of powers outside the continent. This seizure of resources by armed groups feeds 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 production of coltan and thus finances its own expansion,” declared 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 stated that things must change, denouncing a model of predation that hinders the economic and social development of states, depriving them of the wealth of their own lands. Drawing also on the case of Ukraine, the French diplomat accused Russia of actively working to disrupt the Ukrainian energy sector.
“In the longer term, these confiscations 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, which is now in its fifth year, Russia resorts to indiscriminate strikes against the energy network and infrastructure, intentionally seeking to provoke a humanitarian crisis in the heart of winter,” denounced the French diplomat during his intervention before the members of the UN Security Council.
This session takes place against the backdrop of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo facing Rwandan aggression through the rebellion of AFC/M23, which occupies vast areas of the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Behind these repeated aggressions, Kinshasa has long seen them as economic wars, according to Congolese authorities, whose main objective is predation and illicit extraction 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 more than thirty years, Rwanda has cited the threat posed by the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), which it considers 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 the AFC/M23 are an internal crisis, linked to alleged mistreatment of the Tutsi community.
These various issues have been addressed within the Washington process, dealing with tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali, as well as the Doha process, focusing on 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 exacerbating an already precarious humanitarian situation, amid a decreasing international funding for humanitarian aid.
Clément MUAMBA
