The Democratic Republic of Congo is launching a $100 million mining protection force, funded by the United States, to secure mining sites.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s mining inspectorate announced Monday that it has created a paramilitary mining guard to secure mining sites and mineral supply chains, as the world’s largest cobalt producer seeks to combat smuggling and insecurity in the sector and boost investor confidence.
The program will be funded by a $100 million budget through strategic partnerships with the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the General Inspectorate of Mines (IGM) said in a statement. Last year, Kinshasa signed a mining partnership with the United States to strengthen supply chains and security, as Washington seeks to curb China’s dominance in the critical minerals market.
The IGM stated that the new unit will be deployed gradually across mining regions of the Congo and is expected to have more than 20,000 personnel by the end of 2028. An initial contingent of 2,500 to 3,000 personnel is expected to be operational by December 2026, following recruitment and six months of training in collaboration with the military.
“The President of the Republic’s aim is to clean up the entire mining sector by eliminating practices that undermine good governance, transparency, and mineral traceability,” said Rafael Kabengele, the country’s Inspector General of Mines.
As part of the Congo-United States mining partnership, Virtus has acquired control of the copper and cobalt mining company Chemaf, while other Western companies have expressed interest in mining assets, including in rebel-held areas where insecurity has already disrupted operations.
The mining guard will assume responsibility for security missions currently carried out by the defense forces. Its mandate will include securing mining sites, escorting ore convoys from extraction areas to processing plants and border posts, and protecting investments, the statement specifies.
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