US bids to trump China in DR Congo mining rush

THE US wants to secure its supply of strategic minerals in conflict-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, hoping to challenge China's near-monopoly on the lucrative sector.

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While the strategy has been in the works for years, Washington has doubled down on it since Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January.

Although it is among the world’s 15 least developed countries, the DRC has some of the richest mineral veins on the planet.

Besides gold and uranium, its mines contain significant deposits of copper, cobalt, coltan and lithium, with uses ranging from weaponry to mobile phones and electric cars.

More than three-quarters of the world’s cobalt came from the DRC in 2024, according to the US Geological Survey. Threatened by the resurgence of the Rwanda-backed M23 militia in the DRC’s east, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi has sought to strike a deal with the US, trading direct access to those minerals for beefed-up security cooperation.

But the Congolese mining sector is rife with chronic trafficking, organised crime and corruption, discouraging businesses from investing.