DRC creates paramilitary mining security unit backed by US and UAE funding

The Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Monday the creation of a paramilitary guard backed by US and Emirati investments to secure its vast mining operations.

The General Inspectorate of Mines (IGM) said the guard was a "paramilitary special unit intended to secure the entire mineral exploitation chain" in the DRC.

The new unit will be deployed gradually, with an initial 2,500 to 3,000 personnel expected to be operational by December following six months of training in military collaboration, the IGM said in a statement.

The paramilitary force is projected to have more than 20,000 personnel across all of Congo's 22 mining provinces by the end of 2028, with the aim of boosting investor confidence and strengthening state oversight of mineral production.

The $100 million program is funded through partnerships with the United States and United Arab Emirates, the statement said.

The DRC produces around 70% of global cobalt output — key for making electric batteries and in defence technology — and holds some of the world's richest deposits of copper, coltan and lithium.

Illegal mining and insecurity

Chinese mining firms have a dominant position in the country, though there are companies from the United States and elsewhere.

The vast country has long struggled with illicit mineral trafficking and chronic insecurity, particularly in its eastern provinces, where fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Congo's president aims to "clean up the entire mining sector, by eliminating practices that run counter to good governance, transparency and the traceability of minerals,” the inspector general of mines, Raphaël Kabengele, said in the statement.

The paramilitary guard will take over security duties currently performed by conventional military forces.

Its mandate includes securing mine sites, escorting mineral shipments to processing facilities and border crossings and protecting foreign investments.

Washington is trying to reduce China’s dominance over critical mineral supply chains. Congo and the US signed a minerals partnership last year under which American firm Virtus Minerals has taken over copper-cobalt miner Chemaf.

Other Western companies have expressed interest, including some assets located in rebel-held territory.

The DRC and Rwanda signed an agreement in December aimed at ending conflict in the eastern DRC.

The accord includes an economic component aimed at ensuring that American high-tech companies have a supply of strategic minerals.

Negotiations continue between M23 rebels and Congo. However, fighting continues on several fronts in the east.