At a time of growing geopolitical instability, and as the United States conducts major military operations in the Middle East and faces fragile global supply chains, critical minerals have moved to the centre of national security planning. Yet in Central Africa, this strategy faces a growing tension. In early February, Washington hosted the Critical Minerals […]
Rwanda’s War in the DRC Undermines American Mineral Security Read More »
The facility will initially process 200,000 metric tonnes per year. The goal is to be online before Trump leaves office. Companies refuse to say whether seabed minerals are being considered as a mineral source in financing talks with the U.S. government; this raises environmental concerns. Deep-sea mining company Glomar Minerals and Australian Cobalt Blue Holdings
The United States Plans a Marine Minerals Processing Plant Read More »
February 2026 The Government of the United States and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reaffirm our shared commitment to advancing economic growth, stability, and prosperity for both of our peoples. Through the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement, we are building a foundation for increased U.S. investment in the DRC, recognizing that
February 2026 As global competition over critical minerals intensifies, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has emerged as one of the most strategically significant actors in the international minerals economy. Home to the world’s largest cobalt reserves, alongside substantial deposits of copper, lithium, manganese, iron ore, and rare earth elements, the DRC occupies a pivotal
December 2025 The United States Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lucy Tamlyn, vigorously rejected accusations of “selling off” Congolese mineral resources, during an exchange with the press on Monday 15 December 2025 in Kinshasa. She presented the Washington agreement as a balanced strategic partnership, based on mutual interests and focused on
November 2025 The United States is directing materials such as cobalt and graphite towards national defence rather than new climate technologies. The author is responsible for global systems and policies at the Climate and Community Institute and research lead at the Transition Security Project. This summer, the Pentagon announced its intention to acquire nearly 7,500
Opinion: Rare Earths: Critical Minerals Should Not Be Stockpiled for Military Purposes Read More »
November 2025 The Deputy Director General of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) for West Africa, Joseph Martial Ribeiro, received on 17 November at the institution’s headquarters in Abidjan a high-level American delegation led by Jessica Davis Ba, United States Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, and Alex Severens, Alternate Executive Director of the Bank Group for
On March 2, 2026, the U.S. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) formally designated the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and senior military officials under sanctions tied to instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to the U.S. Treasury press release, the designations were issued in response to what
M23 Sanctions Shake Congo’s Mining Empire – What You Need to Know Read More »
The rapidly escalating tensions between Israel, the United States and Iran are being framed as a geopolitical crisis. But for mining executives, investors and operators, this is something else entirely: An energy shock with direct margin consequences. The threat to the Strait of Hormuz — the artery through which roughly one-fifth of global oil supply
Strait of Hormuz Risk: Why Mining Executives Should Be Concerned Read More »
