Exporters breaching DRC cobalt quotas face permanent ban, warns Tshisekedi

Exporters who violate a new quota system on cobalt will be permanently banned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President Félix Tshisekedi has warned. 

The DRC is the world’s top producer of the metal, which is critical to the manufacture of electric batteries.

In February, Kinshasa blocked all exports as prices hit a record low. Last month, it announced a new quota system based on historical exports and due to come into effect on October 16. 

Miners will be able to ship just over 18,000 tonnes of cobalt for the rest of this year, with annual caps of just over 96,000 tonnes for 2026 and 2027.

Tshisekedi reportedly told his cabinet on Friday that he would apply “exemplary sanctions” to anyone violating the new rules. He said the new system would be an effective lever to influence the market after years of “predatory strategies.” The eight-month export freeze helped drive a 92 percent rebound in the price of cobalt since March.

The crackdown comes as violence in the country’s mineral-rich east continues to escalate between Rwanda-backed M23 fighters and the Congolese armed forces, despite US efforts towards a peace deal.