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A new paramilitary unit dedicated to securing mining sites across the Democratic Republic of Congo will be established, authorities announced Monday, as the central African nation moves to protect its vast deposits of globally sought-after minerals.
The “mining guard” was unveiled by the General Inspectorate of Mines (IGM), a government agency responsible for overseeing the sector and combating fraud.
IGM described the force in a statement as a “paramilitary special unit intended to secure the entire mineral exploitation chain.”
Congo supplies roughly 70 percent of the world’s cobalt, a critical component in electric vehicle batteries and defence technology. The country is also home to massive reserves of copper, coltan and lithium.
The unit comes with a budget of $100 million and forms part of “strategic partnerships” with the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the IGM said, though it did not specify where the funding would come from.
The mining guard will take on the task of protecting both mining sites and the transport of minerals, according to the IGM.
“By the end of 2028, a gradual deployment is planned of a workforce of more than 20,000 guards covering the 22 mining provinces under IGM supervision,” the body said.
Recruits will go through a six-month training programme, with the first group expected to be deployed by December of this year.
The announcement comes after the DRC and Rwanda signed a deal in December aimed at ending hostilities in eastern Congo, a region that has seen years of violence worsened by the emergence of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group.
That agreement also includes an economic element designed to secure a supply of strategic minerals for American high-tech firms.
Chinese mining companies currently dominate Congo’s extractive sector, though US and other international firms also have a presence.
