The DRC supplies roughly 70% of the world’s cobalt — and it’s hiring a 20,000‑strong paramilitary to protect it. Kinshasa plans to recruit more than 20,000 guards under a $100 million programme backed by the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the General Inspectorate of Mines (IGM) said. Recruits will undergo six months of training, and the first contingent is expected to deploy in December 2026.

New force and structure The IGM announced plans on Monday for a paramilitary unit it described as a "mining guard" responsible for securing extraction sites and escorting mineral shipments. The agency outlined a phased build-up to more than 20,000 personnel deployed across the 22 provinces it supervises by the end of 2028. Recruits will undergo a six-month training programme, and the IGM said the first contingent will likely be deployed in December 2026. The programme is financed through partnerships with the United States and the United Arab Emirates, with a budget of $100 million for the initial phase. The inspector general of mines, Rafael Kabengele, framed the move as part of a broader government effort to tighten oversight. "President Felix Tshisekedi aims to 'clean up the entire mining sector, by eliminating practices that run counter to good governance, transparency and the traceability of minerals'," Kabengele said in the statement. The IGM positioned the guard as a specialised security arm focused on the full mineral exploitation chain — from extraction points to transport routes and export facilities. The agency did not publish operational rules, command arrangements or a personnel breakdown, but said the force will be "paramilitary" in nature and will operate under IGM supervision. Security and political context The announcement comes against a backdrop of long-running conflict in eastern provinces where armed groups compete with state forces and local militias for control of mineral-rich territory. Armed groups and illicit trafficking have helped finance rebel operations for years, and the eastern provinces remain a flashpoint. Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions have been underway: the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda signed an agreement in December 2025 aimed at ending hostilities in the east. The IGM said that pact includes an economic element intended to expand the supply of strategic minerals for US interests. The agreement followed a period in which Rwanda was accused of backing the M23 armed group as it advanced in eastern DRC. Economic stakes and foreign investment The DRC sits atop vast reserves of cobalt, copper, coltan and lithium. The IGM noted the country accounts for about 70 percent of global cobalt output — a metal central to electric-vehicle batteries and certain defence applications — and holds some of the richest deposits of other strategic minerals. That geological wealth has attracted many foreign actors and made mining a core economic lever for the government in Kinshasa. Foreign firms are already repositioning: last year the DRC and the United States signed a minerals partnership under which US firm Virtus Minerals took control of Chemaf, a Congolese copper and cobalt miner. The IGM said other Western companies have expressed interest in investing in assets, including those in areas currently held by rebel groups, while Chinese companies continue to maintain a strong presence across the sector. The IGM and international partners framed the new guard as one part of an effort to open the sector to a wider set of investors while tightening controls on illicit trade. Officials say securing mining sites and transport routes is central to reducing illicit trafficking and improving traceability and governance across the sector.

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The IGM said the first contingent of the mining guard will likely be deployed in December 2026.

This article was created with AI assistance.