The lobby of the Fleuve Congo Hotel was filled with double-breasted suits and tailored dresses. There are gold watches on the wrists. The shirtos were on the marble floors. The men sipped espressos while jazz played.
The Fleuve is an emporium of ambition in a nation that, despite extreme poverty and chronic corruption, serves up raw materials crucial to the planet's battle against climate change.
The green energy revolution is powered by the production of electric car batteries, wind turbine blades and other metals in the soil of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Everyone who passes through the hotel seems to want a piece of the wealth.
The former NBA all-star sat near a sumptuous buffet just off the lobby. He and Beach, a Texas hedge-fund manager who is a family friend and major fund-raiser to former President Donald J. Trump, were trying to find mineral wealth. Mr. Mutombo shared a table with a top mining lawyer who is also a politician.
The departure of major American mining companies and the reluctance of other traditional Western firms to do business in a country with a reputation for labor abuses and bribe-taking has created a vacuum that has been filled by a wave of opportunists.
The former chief executive of the parent company of Coach and Kate Spade is on the list of fortune hunters.
All have been drawn to the high-risk, high-reward mining sector of the Democratic Republic of the Congo because of the increased demand for cobalt.
Ford Motor and General GM both announced they would spend tens of billions of dollars to build battery factories and electric vehicle plants in the United States. More than two-thirds of the global supply of the metal is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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The Fleuve is a luxury destination for international travelers to the capital.
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There is a mine near the town. The Fleuve is looking for business deals in the mining sector.
The Fleuve became the go-to luxury destination after a politically connected Chinese businessman was awarded a contract to run an abandoned office building.
The hotel built in the 1960s with U.S. government financing is now a five-star hotel, and it is the kind of place where swashbucklers arrive by private plane, and where some guests keep suitcases.
The clean energy revolution is a turning point for the country and the world, as the centuries-long lock on fossil fuels is upended.
The retired basketball player said that the EV of the future would be delivered by Conrad. There is only one answer.
Some seasoned business people see a lot of show and little substance in the new class of deal seekers.
Jozsef M. Kovacs built a hotel that once hosted executives from major Western mining companies who had billions of dollars in capital available to them.
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The Fleuve, with its $29 cheeseburgers and other luxury offerings, is markedly different from its surroundings, where poverty is widespread and electricity is scarce.
Robert Friedland, the founder of Vancouver, B.C.-based Ivanhoe Mines, is one of the traditional investors in the country. Chinese investors dominate the industrial mining sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is why their operations are in large part financed by Ivanhoe.
The clean energy revolution has become a cycle of exploitation and greed. The quest for a prized metal is at the center of it.
The Fleuve has a regular who advises the president and is pursuing mining interests here. That needs to change.
At least for now, the explorers have taken center stage, and sometimes their ambitions converge at the Fleuve. They all pass through.
A red carpet was rolled out for a delegation arriving a few hours ahead of the president. The hotel workers replaced it with a nicer carpet when they learned the president was coming too.
The president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo made his way into the hotel with a group of men. A French businessman who owns a company in Nigeria that helps war-torn areas was in the lobby.
He thought of a new business opportunity. A long time friend of Mr. Tshibadi came to the Fleuve to try to get a piece of the action.
Mr. Rufi said that he had interests in copper and cobalt.
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The red carpet was rolled out for the arrival of the president.
The Fleuve is a place where there is a lot of misery in the country, electricity is hard to come by, and most of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
The breakfast buffet has fresh pastries and yogurt. A chef from Italy makes pasta and lamb chops with polenta in a restaurant. The lobby bar is a good place to eat. The cheeseburger is $29.
The presidential suite was chosen by Akon, the Missouri-born rhythm and blues musician who has two hit songs, "Smack That" and "I'm So Paid", and is trying to get a deal to develop a new copper and cobalt mine.
Mr. Mutombo, who was born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, turned up at least twice this year, once with Mr. Beach. The two were not normal.
President Barack Obama was a supporter of Mr. Mutombo and he is known for his philanthropy work. Mr. Beach, a lifelong Texan and gun enthusiast who had asked a Congolese official about open-carry laws before arriving in the country, helped raise $150 million for Mr. Trump.
In a text message to The New York Times last month, Mr. Mutombo said that he was not in the same category of opportunist investors. We got a bit lucky because the electric car's timeline went from about 18 months to over a year.
A $1 billion mining project is being planned by Mr. Mutombo, who has set up a private equity firm called BlueTech. He talked to representatives of the state mining enterprise about possible joint ventures.
He told The Times that he had met with billionaires in the United States, but that he had decided to raise capital only from North American investors. He said that they have stopped talks with their friends from the East because of the current situation.
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A Texas hedge fund manager named Gentry Beach invested in a mining company with Donald Trump Jr.
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A former NBA all-star who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo says he is planning a $1 billion mining project.
Mr. Beach arrived in the country this year with photos of himself with Mr. Trump and pretended to be an investor in the mining sector. He met with the American ambassador in the capital of the country.
Mr. Hammer said he was ready to assist U.S. companies.
Mr. Beach has investments with Donald Trump Jr., who is a friend of one of Mr. Beach's children.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Beach invested in a company in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mr. Trump made the investment after Mr. Beach suggested it.
Mr. Trump denied that he was involved in Mr. Beach's current efforts.
A former administration official said that Mr. Beach had his mining ambitions known in the White House. Nicole Widdersheim, who served as the Central Africa officer on the National Security Council during the first two years of the administration, said that he was interested in mining opportunities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She said she was like, "No, thanks." I kept avoiding that.
Through much of the year, Mr. Mutombo has continued his search for investors, and recently said that he hoped to have a deal done by the end of the year.
The odd couple's ties have become strained. Two mining executives said that Mr. Beach and Mr. Mutombo had parted ways. Mr. Beach didn't reply to questions.
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A boat captain is on the river.
The Fleuve is a good place to stay for those working with the former Navy SEAL, as it provides a comfortable escape in a chaotic city.
Yves Kabongo, a venture capitalist who was a shareholder in West River, one of Mr. Prince's mining ventures, said that it was a good place to go.
Mr. Prince started mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after running a program off the coast of Africa. He thought he could work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite its reputation as a hard place to do business.
He told a group of mining investors in China that he had picked the Chinese as partners because they were willing to work.
After getting permission from the government, West River began exploring a site known for diamonds, which is outside of the traditional Copperbelt.
Mr. Kabongo said that he started trenching, picking, and ordered up drilling. He found it.
The effort produced a small amount of copper, and the company is still raising money to push ahead.
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The New York Times reported on the mining projects pursued by a former Navy Seal.
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A security guard was employed by a firm that Mr. Prince helped found.
Mr. Prince became chairman of the Frontier Services Group, a Chinese company that quickly moved to offer a range of security, transport and insurance services. It offered a truck and rail network in southernCongo to move copper and other materials to shipping ports.
One of the country's largest cobalt and copper mines, owned by a Chinese conglomerate, was spotted by Frontier security officers. Frontier has provided security for other Chinese mining companies.
Mr. Prince ran the private security firm Blackwater, which was accused of breaching ethical and legal boundaries. Blackwater employees killed 17 people in Iraq in 2007. Mr. Prince was found to have violated an arms embargo on Libya.
The U.N. report on the embargo violation led to the resignation of Mr. Prince as a top officer at Frontier, though his lawyer has said the move was over disagreements with the management performance and direction of the company. At the time of his resignation, Mr. Prince sold most of his holdings. The spokesman said that he no longer had any financial interest in the company.
The spokesman said that Mr. Prince had seen a lot of exploratory opportunities. He said that the activities can be done in a way that is profitable, ethical and green.
Mr. Kabongo thinks that Mr. Prince is a good choice for a high-risk place. He said he liked his passion for being able to move things from the moon to the jungle. He wants to find new frontiers. We need that here. Someone needs to be daring.
Jide was a partner at Goldman. He is the CEO of the parent company of Kate Spade and Coach. Mr. Obama nominated him for a U.N. post, but he withdrew due to personal and business troubles.
Mr. Zeitlin is an investor with a focus on the minerals and metals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and he is going to stay at the Fleuve this month to meet with top officials.
Mr. Zeitlin said in an interview that his investment plan could give him and his partners access to one of the country's largest cobalt and copper mines by pressing the Swiss-based mining giant to sell it. He wants the U.S. government to help make the sale happen.
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Jide Zeitlin, who ran the parent company of Kate Spade and Coach, is looking for access to one of the largest cobalt mines in the world.
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A critical element in the batteries of electric cars is produced by the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mr. Zeitlin thinks that a settlement of the investigation could be used to push for the sale of at least one of the mines. After making their case in both Washington and Kinshasa, he and his investors would bid to buy the mine. When asked about Mr. Zeitlin's plan, a spokesman for the company declined to comment.
His lobbyists helped round up signatures on a letter sent by seven Senate Democrats raising the possibility of a sale of the mine and pressing President Biden to address the matter.
Mr. Zeitlin said that the goal was to help the United States get access to a supply of cobalt that was cut off when the last American-owned site was sold to the Chinese.
The International Development Finance Corporation is a U.S. government agency. General Stanley McChrystal, the retired Army commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is one of the allies he has lined up. The four men are all in high-level positions.
Tom Daschle was the former South Dakota senator and Democratic majority leader. Seven former Capitol Hill staff members and a onetime Clinton-Gore campaign aide were sent by Cornerstone Government Affairs to rally support in Congress, according to a lobbyist disclosure report.
Mr. Zeitlin said they had been talking to senators.
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The mine is owned by a Swiss firm that is facing a corruption investigation. Mr. Zeitlin is interested in the company's properties.
Simon Cong came to the Fleuve from China three decades ago as a translator and eventually took over management of the building that now houses the hotel.
The International Trade Center was built in the 1970s as part of a grandiose plan to make the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo a great place to live.
Mr. Cong was awarded a 20-year concession to run it after it was renovated as a hotel in time for an international summit. He hired a company called Blazon to manage the property.
Mr. Cong, who is also known as Cong Maohuai in China, describes his encounters with his high-rolling guests as being more like a conversation than a negotiation.
I get to meet them, talk to them, but I don't do business with them. I am not important. I am a businessman.
He has investments in two Australian-based mining companies that have projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as a mine that he said he inherited from a friend. He is the head of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He said in an interview that he owned a toll company that collected fees on the road used by trucks to carry copper and cobalt.
The Chinese have come to dominate the mining of copper and cobalt here. He said that Americans are not prepared for life in the Democratic Republic of the Congo because Chinese companies are good at grunt work.
He said that mining is difficult.
Dionne Searcey was from Kinshasa, Eric Lipton was from Washington and Michael Forsythe was from New York. Gilbertson was in Kinshasa.
