News (946)
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and China have signed a police cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening the operational capabilities of the Congolese National Police (PNC), with a particular focus on fighting mining fraud and cybercrime.
The agreement was signed on May 26 in Beijing by Congolese Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani and Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong.
According to a statement from the DRC Embassy in China, the partnership will provide Chinese technical assistance in several strategic areas, including crime prevention, combating mining-related fraud, and tackling cybercrime.
The two countries will establish a joint working group to oversee implementation of the agreement. On the Congolese side, the initiative is being led by Vice Prime Minister and Interior Minister Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo Bihango.
The agreement supports the ongoing professionalization of the Congolese National Police, one of the objectives set out in the police reform law promulgated under President Félix Tshisekedi.
Focus on mining fraud
The explicit focus on mining fraud gives the agreement a strong economic dimension. The Congolese mining sector continues to face major governance, oversight, and traceability challenges, particularly in the artisanal mining supply chains for copper, cobalt, gold, and other strategic minerals.
In the artisanal copper and cobalt sector, several reports have highlighted persistent difficulties in tracking production flows, fraudulent declarations, the involvement of unauthorized operators, and weak state control over key supply chains.
These shortcomings contribute to substantial revenue losses for the state, complicate efforts to formalize the sector, and weaken the credibility of Congolese minerals on international markets, where traceability and responsible sourcing standards are becoming increasingly stringent.
Congolese authorities have recently stepped up efforts to curb illegal mining and informal trading networks. In December 2025, Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba suspended all artisanal copper and cobalt processing entities across the country as part of a broader crackdown on fraud and non-compliant practices.
Cybersecurity cooperation
The agreement’s second major pillar focuses on cybercrime. Since 2022, the DRC has operated under a National Cybersecurity Strategy for 2022–2025, which treats cybersecurity as a matter of national sovereignty amid the rapid digitization of public institutions, businesses, and public services.
The strategy highlights the growing pace of cyber threats, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and the need to strengthen prevention, detection, and incident response capacities.
Against this backdrop, cooperation with Beijing could provide Kinshasa with technical support in an area where capacity gaps remain significant. However, the specifics of the assistance have not yet been disclosed.
The official communiqué did not specify the resources to be deployed, the implementation timeline, or the safeguards surrounding the potential exchange of sensitive information.
Ultimately, the agreement marks a new phase in DRC-China security cooperation while reflecting Kinshasa’s broader economic priorities: protecting strategic resources, reducing fraud, and strengthening digital security in a country central to global critical mineral supply chains.
Pierre Mukoko
Kazakh mining group Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), which operates copper and cobalt assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), announced a major restructuring of its shareholder base on May 22, 2026, marking the exit of two founding shareholders from the group.
Patokh Chodiev and the family of Alexander Machkevitch, both founding members alongside the Kazakh state, sold their respective stakes of 18.6% and 20.7% to Nature Energy Solutions Ltd., a company controlled by Kazakh businessman Shakhmurat Mutalip. Following the transaction, the Kazakh state retains its 40% stake in ERG, while Nature Energy Solutions becomes one of the group's principal private shareholders with 39.3%. The remaining 20.7% stays with the heirs of businessman Alijan Ibragimov.
ERG did not disclose the financial terms of the transactions. Several international media outlets, including the Financial Times as cited by The Insider, reported a deal valued at around $1.4 billion.
In a statement, ERG said the restructuring aims to “strengthen the group’s resilience,” improve governance efficiency and support its long-term growth strategy. The group added that the changes would affect neither its day-to-day operations nor its commitments to employees, partners and host states.
Russian ties under scrutiny
For the DRC, the shareholder reshuffle could spark sensitive questions. The country hosts several of ERG’s strategic copper and cobalt assets — two minerals central to the global energy transition — and has in recent months strengthened ties with the United States.
According to several international media outlets, Shakhmurat Mutalip has ties to Russian financial figures targeted by Western sanctions since the start of the war in Ukraine. The Insider reported that the Kazakh businessman has relationships with several figures in the Russian banking sector, including VTB chairman Andrey Kostin, as well as oligarch Alisher Usmanov.
According to the same sources, Mutalip’s interest in ERG has drawn the attention of the U.S. State Department, which is reportedly concerned that a portion of the group’s strategic assets in the DRC could come under Russian influence.
ERG has previously faced similar geopolitical complications in the DRC. In 2022, the group attributed delays in the development of the Kalukundi copper-cobalt mine — held by Swanmines, a joint venture with state miner Gécamines — to financing difficulties linked to credit lines with Russian banks affected by international sanctions. Those delays fueled tensions between the two shareholders.
In September 2025, during President Félix Tshisekedi’s visit to Kazakhstan, Gécamines and ERG signed a cooperation agreement that resolved several years of disputes over Swanmines.
Kalukundi as first test
That agreement led to a restructuring of Swanmines’ capital. Gécamines’ stake was raised from 25% to 49%, while ERG’s share was reduced from 75% to 51%. ERG also committed to completing, within one year, a feasibility study for the construction of a processing plant at Kalukundi.
How ERG delivers on that commitment will be an early test of the practical impact of the group’s new ownership structure on its DRC operations. If the group confirms its investments and accelerates project implementation, the restructuring could be presented as a stabilizing factor. Conversely, any further delays could revive questions about the group’s financial and strategic capacity to develop its Congolese assets.
The DRC holds a central place in ERG’s African ambitions. According to the group’s 2025 financial results, Africa accounted for approximately 24% of its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). ERG says it aims, over the next three to five years, to achieve annual production of around 300,000 tonnes of copper and more than 20,000 tonnes of cobalt.
In the DRC, that strategy is built around the assets of Boss Mining, Frontier, Comide, Swanmines and Metalkol RTR, which the group describes as one of its principal tailings reprocessing projects.
Assets under pressure
ERG faces another major challenge in the DRC: securing its concessions. Since 2024, several of its sites have been affected by repeated incursions from organized networks of illegal miners, particularly at Comide, Boss Mining and Metalkol.
An investigation published in May 2026 by Africa Intelligence said these intrusions are costing ERG nearly $2 billion per year and are also generating significant revenue losses for the Congolese state, which is itself exposed through Gécamines, a 49% shareholder in Boss Mining.
In response, the Kazakh group is exploring several avenues to regain control of its concessions. On Feb. 10, 2026, ERG signed a memorandum of understanding with the Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC), a Gécamines subsidiary tasked with overseeing artisanal cobalt mining in the DRC. The partnership aims to gradually relocate artisanal miners to specially designated mining zones away from the group’s industrial concessions.
Another option under consideration involves strengthening cooperation with the Inspection Générale des Mines (IGM), headed by Raphaël Kabengele. According to Africa Intelligence, ERG is seeking to leverage the agency to intensify its fight against illegal mining networks operating on its concessions.
The case of Metalkol illustrates the tensions surrounding the group’s mining assets most clearly. Third-party operators have reportedly taken control of part of the tailings contained in the basin exploited by the company, allegedly with the backing of networks benefiting from political and security protection. ERG says the situation threatens the mine’s operational lifespan and could result in several billion dollars in lost revenue.
Against this backdrop, ERG’s ownership restructuring is more than an internal corporate matter. It comes at a time when its Congolese assets are under pressure on three fronts: geopolitical, fiscal and security. For Kinshasa, the challenge will be to determine whether the new shareholder balance can help ERG stabilize its investments, honor its industrial commitments and better secure its operations. For ERG, the DRC remains a strategic pillar — and one of its most exposed operating environments.
Timothée Manoke
Les Lignes maritimes congolaises (LMC SA) and Société congolaise de transport maritime (SOCOTRAM) signed an agreement on May 26, 2026, in Kinshasa to launch a joint feeder and coastal shipping service between the ports of Pointe-Noire and Matadi.
According to LMC SA, the partnership marks the start of a joint service aimed at strengthening maritime and trade integration between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. The service is expected to facilitate the transhipment of containers between Pointe-Noire, Congo-Brazzaville’s main seaport, and Matadi, the DRC’s main Atlantic gateway.
LMC’s five-year recovery plan
For LMC SA, the agreement comes as the state-owned shipping company seeks to implement its 2023-2027 recovery plan. The plan targets an increase in market share from 0.3% in 2021 to 2% by 2027, with transported volumes projected to rise from 45,000 metric tons to 395,195 metric tons.
In recent months, the company has taken steps to reposition itself through ship acquisition projects and by signalling interest in handling Congolese freight transiting through Dar es Salaam. The partnership with SOCOTRAM could allow LMC to resume maritime operations before completing its fleet renewal programme.
According to LMC, the joint service forms part of wider efforts to modernize the Congolese maritime sector and strengthen bilateral cooperation between Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Operational details, including rotation frequency, vessels to be deployed, targeted volumes and the launch date, have not yet been disclosed.
Matadi’s connectivity challenge
For Matadi, the project is strategically important. The Congolese port is seeking to improve its connectivity with major regional hubs, as Pointe-Noire has emerged as one of Central Africa’s leading logistics platforms.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, LMC SA acting director general Gisèle Mbwansiem Mbiung Mupa described the partnership as combining LMC’s maritime and port expertise with SOCOTRAM’s operational capacity.
“Through this signing, our two companies demonstrate that with trust, vision and shared commitment, our countries can jointly develop long-term solutions for regional development,” she said.
SOCOTRAM director general Louis-Gabriel Missatou welcomed what he described as “the beginning of a strong, ambitious and lasting partnership” between the two countries.
Ronsard Luabeya
Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi instructed the government on May 22 to accelerate work on a new national forest policy and produce, within 30 days, an interministerial road map for the management of forest and environmental resources.
The initiative forms part of Kinshasa’s strategy to leverage the country’s vast forest resources to attract more climate financing, strengthen its diplomatic position and reinforce its role in the global energy transition.
The DRC holds around 60% of the Congo Basin rainforest, the world’s second-largest tropical forest after the Amazon. The country also possesses substantial reserves of critical minerals needed for the energy transition. It is the world’s leading cobalt producer, with 220,000 tonnes produced in 2024, representing 76% of global output, and the second-largest copper producer, with nearly 3.5 million tonnes produced in 2025. The country is also a major producer of coltan, with the Rubaya site alone accounting for around 15% of global production.
Those resources place the DRC at the center of global discussions on climate and energy security. Tshisekedi, however, said that position could not gain lasting international credibility without stronger forest governance based on transparency, accountability, respect for local communities and coherent public policies.
Governance challenges remain
Kinshasa has for several years sought to capitalize on its forest resources in discussions with international donors, multilateral institutions and investors specializing in low-carbon projects. In June 2025, the World Bank announced the disbursement of $19.47 million to the DRC under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility in exchange for reducing 3.89 million tonnes of carbon emissions in Mai-Ndombe province.
That ambition nevertheless faces persistent challenges. International partners regularly cite weaknesses in governance, institutional coordination, legal certainty and transparency in project implementation. The new forest policy is intended to address those concerns through a cross-ministerial road map.
According to the minutes of the Council of Ministers meeting, the road map will cover priorities including forest governance, environmental monitoring systems, community forest concessions and the principle of free, prior and informed consent.
Tshisekedi also wants to integrate the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor project into the new framework. Authorities present the initiative as a strategic program combining forest conservation, local development and green transition objectives.
The president further stressed that environmental governance standards are becoming increasingly important in international financing mechanisms and in the investment criteria used by industrial and financial partners.
Against that backdrop, the government plans to coordinate forest policy with strategic sectors including mining, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, finance and land-use planning. The approach is also intended to attract ESG-focused investment, as environmental, social and governance standards play a growing role in global capital allocation decisions.
Pierre Mukoko & Boaz Kabeya
Africa CDC, the African Union’s public health agency, has estimated the cost of a coordinated continent-wide Ebola response plan at $318.97 million, the agency announced on May 24. The budget, covering the period from June to November 2026, is part of a regional response coordinated with African and international health partners. The plan aims to contain the outbreak and prevent the virus from spreading across Central and East Africa, where several countries still have fragile health systems and limited surveillance capacity.
Of the total budget, $264.97 million, or 84.1%, will be allocated to frontline response operations in the two affected countries. The funds will support treatment centers, surveillance, testing, infection prevention, case management and public awareness campaigns.
A further $54 million will be used to strengthen health preparedness in ten African countries considered at high risk. The funding will help improve contingency plans, surveillance at points of entry, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and the creation of strategic stockpiles of medical supplies.
The plan also includes risk communication and community engagement activities aimed at encouraging compliance with health measures. It further provides support for research into medical countermeasures, with the goal of strengthening long-term response capacity against the virus.
The initiative comes amid heightened vigilance among African health authorities following several major Ebola outbreaks reported in recent years in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It also reflects the determination of Africa CDC and the African Union to reinforce continental mechanisms for responding to health emergencies.
According to the WHO office in the DRC, more than 900 suspected cases have been recorded so far, including 101 confirmed cases.
“The African Union stands in full solidarity with the peoples and Governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda at this critical time,” Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, president of the AU Commission, said at a press briefing.
“Africa has overcome major public health challenges before, and through unity, coordination, and collective action, we shall overcome this one as well,” he added.
Carelle Yourann, with Ecofin Agency
The Democratic Republic of Congo's rural electrification agency has awarded two solar power plant contracts to Solution For Africa SAS worth more than $3.5 million less than two weeks apart.
The most recent decision, signed on May 20, 2026, by ANSER Director General Cyprien Musimar Ndele, covers the construction of a 500 kWc photovoltaic solar power plant in Lusambo, the administrative capital of Sankuru province. The contract has a maximum value of $2.22 million, tax included.
Several days earlier, on May 8, 2026, ANSER had provisionally awarded the same company a separate contract for the construction of a 250 kWc photovoltaic solar plant in Djolu, in Tshuapa province, worth up to $1.29 million, tax included.
Both projects target urban centers in provinces that remain poorly connected to the national grid. They are part of ANSER's strategy, which relies heavily on decentralized solutions, especially solar energy, to accelerate electricity access in rural and peri-urban areas.
According to the procurement decisions reviewed, both awards followed public procurement procedures, including the opening and evaluation of bids, the drafting of procurement commission minutes, and the issuance of non-objection notices by the General Directorate for Public Procurement Control (DGCMP).
At this stage, however, the awards remain provisional. The contracts must still undergo additional regulatory review before final agreements are signed and construction work can begin.
Solution For Africa SAS is a Lubumbashi-based company historically active in drilling, water solutions and technical services. Through its Solution4Energy division, the company also operates in solar energy, including the design, supply and construction of solar power plants, as well as solar pumping, lighting and backup power systems.The company will need to demonstrate strong execution capacity to handle two projects simultaneously in landlocked provinces with limited infrastructure access.
Ronsard Luabeya
United Bank for Africa inaugurated a branch in Kolwezi, capital of Lualaba province, on May 20, 2025, marking its entry into one of the Democratic Republic of Congo's most strategic mining regions.
The opening is part of UBA's expansion strategy in the DRC under its 2024-2028 strategic plan. In its Pillar 3 report published in March 2025, the Congolese subsidiary of the Nigerian banking group said it plans to expand its network from three branches in 2024 to 21 by 2028.
The strategy aims to strengthen the bank's presence in the country's main economic hubs, particularly mining, commercial and port areas, while increasing customer deposits. By establishing itself in Kolwezi, UBA is seeking to attract more funds generated by mining operations and subcontracting firms active in Lualaba, a province driven by copper and cobalt production.
The bank aims to raise deposits to $1.8 billion by 2028, up from about $269 million in 2023. UBA DRC's strategic plan projects average deposit growth of 30% in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, accelerating to 40% in subsequent years.
Figures published by the bank show the strategy initially produced strong growth. Customer deposits rose from 236.3 billion naira in 2023 to 476.3 billion naira in 2024, representing a year-on-year increase of 101.6%.
Profitability Under Pressure
That momentum reversed in 2025, with deposits falling 19.9% to 381.5 billion naira. The bank attributed the decline to slower commodity-related flows and more cautious liquidity management by some large mining-sector clients.
Despite the decline, deposit levels remain above those recorded in 2023, reflecting the continued expansion of UBA's presence in the Congolese market.
With new branches in Matadi and now Kolwezi, the bank appears to be pursuing a medium-term growth strategy focused on the country's main economic corridors. It aims to gradually increase its market share in a banking sector still dominated by Rawbank and EquityBCDC.
The expansion drive has weighed on the bank's financial performance. According to data published for fiscal year 2025, UBA's DRC subsidiary posted a pre-tax profit of 14.8 billion naira, down from 22.8 billion naira in 2024, a decline of 35.1%. Net profit fell 43.3% to 11.9 billion naira from 20.9 billion naira a year earlier.
The bank said the decline in profitability was partly due to a 12.9% year-on-year increase in operating expenses. According to the financial report, the rise was driven by investment in digital infrastructure and costs linked to expanding the bank's branch network in a country with significant logistical constraints.
Timothée Manoke
The Congolese government is once again tightening control over the mining sector in South Kivu. In a ministerial decree signed on May 22, 2026, Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba suspended all mining activities for three months in the territories of Mwenga and Shabunda — two sensitive mining zones that have long been associated with illicit mineral extraction, fraud and the financing of insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
South Kivu is one of the DRC’s main artisanal mining regions, producing gold, tin and coltan, a strategic mineral used in high-tech manufacturing. Much of the extraction in the province is carried out by artisanal miners operating in remote and weakly regulated areas.
The ministry said the suspension was prompted by a “resurgence of illegal mining activities” reported in South Kivu province, particularly in Mwenga and Shabunda. The decree also cites the impact of these activities on national security and territorial integrity, saying revenues generated from illegal exploitation contribute to destabilizing activities in eastern Congo.
The measure follows a pattern already seen several times in South Kivu: temporary suspensions, administrative inspections, selective reopening for compliant operators, followed by renewed illegal practices. The latest decision highlights the government’s continued struggle to establish lasting control over the mining sector in the east of the country, where armed groups and smuggling networks remain deeply entrenched.
Minister Watum Kabamba has recently intensified enforcement operations against illegal mineral exploitation in eastern DRC. During an inspection tour last April in the provinces of Ituri, Bas-Uélé and Maniema, he ordered the closure of several gold mining sites operating without valid mining titles or extraction permits. He also denounced fraud and smuggling networks accused of weakening state control over the country’s mineral resources.
Under the decree, an inspection mission led by the General Mining Inspectorate will be deployed in coordination with other state authorities. The mission will verify the legality of ongoing operations, investigate reported violations, identify those responsible and recommend corrective measures.
Boaz Kabeya
Ivanhoe Mines has launched a tender for a 10-MW solar power plant with battery storage to supply its Kipushi zinc mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the company said in its first-quarter 2026 financial report published May 6.
The facility is intended to provide stable baseload power, supported by storage capacity of up to 200 MWh over 24 hours. The project will be built on a 70-hectare site near the mine and developed, owned and operated by a third-party partner under a take-or-pay agreement. Commissioning is expected in late 2027.
The project comes as Kipushi continues to face unstable electricity supply. In its financial report published Aug. 27, 2025, Ivanhoe said it was strengthening backup capacity by installing an additional 6 MW of generators to support operations during periods of grid instability.
In annual results released Jan. 15, 2026, the company said it had further expanded backup generation capacity at Kipushi during the fourth quarter of 2025 to reduce disruptions linked to instability on the Congolese power grid.
Despite those measures, Ivanhoe acknowledged in its first-quarter 2026 report that grid instability continued to disrupt concentrator operations. The company said it had increased backup generator capacity at the site by 20%, bringing total installed backup capacity to 20 MW.
Separately, upgrades to Kipushi’s 120-kV electricity substation were completed and commissioned at the end of the first quarter of 2026. According to Ivanhoe, the upgrades should improve management of grid fluctuations and help protect strategic infrastructure, including the concentrator.
Production ramp-up
The solar project is intended to reduce reliance on diesel backup generators, which are currently used intermittently.
At the same time, Kipushi is undergoing a rapid production ramp-up. According to operational results published Jan. 15, 2026, the zinc mine — owned 62% by Ivanhoe Mines and 38% by Gécamines — quadrupled output in 2025 to 203,168 tonnes of zinc concentrate, from 50,307 tonnes in 2024.
The increase followed engineering work launched in September 2024 to expand concentrator processing capacity by 20%. The optimization program was completed in early August 2025.
Production growth continued into the first quarter of 2026. Ivanhoe said Kipushi produced 65,044 tonnes of zinc in concentrate during the first three months of the year, compared with 42,736 tonnes a year earlier. Sales reached 54,940 tonnes of zinc, up from 30,108 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025, at an average realized price of $1.47 per pound.
For 2026, the company is targeting production of between 240,000 and 290,000 tonnes of concentrate. With output rising, securing reliable electricity supply has become critical to stabilizing operations and sustaining the mine’s expansion.
The energy strategy forms part of broader investments by Ivanhoe in the DRC. At Kamoa Copper — a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group, Crystal River Global Limited and the Congolese state — a 60-MW solar plant is under construction near Kolwezi. The company has also started signing contracts for a second phase of the program, which aims to increase total solar capacity to 120 MW.
Timothée Manoke
The Congolese government on May 23 suspended all flights to and from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, as part of measures aimed at containing an Ebola outbreak.
In a statement, the Ministry of Transport said no aircraft would be allowed to land at or depart from Bunia airport until further notice.
The restriction applies to commercial, private and charter flights operating to and from the city. Airlines and flight crews have been instructed to comply with health and security directives issued by the relevant authorities.
The ministry said humanitarian, medical and emergency flights could still be authorized on a case-by-case basis, subject to prior approval from aviation and health authorities.
According to the statement, the measure is intended to prevent further spread of the outbreak and protect passengers, crews and airport workers.
The suspension comes amid a resurgence of Ebola cases in Ituri, a province that has faced several outbreaks in recent years.
The decision also comes only weeks after modernization works were completed at Bunia airport. The facility, which authorities had promoted as a way to improve connectivity to the northeastern province, is now operating under restrictions linked to Ebola containment efforts.
Boaz Kabeya
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FINCA DRC said it had resumed normal operations after reopening its headquarters and Gombe branch in Kinshasa.
“All our operations are resuming normally and our teams are ready to welcome you,” the microfinance institution said in a statement to clients.
The announcement followed reports that Kinshasa’s tax authority, the Direction générale des recettes de Kinshasa (DGRK), had sealed the offices of a financial institution in Gombe over unpaid taxes, according to the Agence congolaise de presse.
In an earlier statement, FINCA DRC said access to its premises had been temporarily suspended for “administrative reasons beyond our control” and urged clients to use its digital services, including FINCA Mobile, CLICK and FINCA Express.
The episode comes as authorities in Kinshasa intensify tax collection efforts. Since the start of 2026, provincial authorities and the DGRK have stepped up tax recovery campaigns, particularly targeting property and rental income taxes.
Authorities have carried out several inspections and temporary closures of buildings and businesses across the capital as part of efforts to boost provincial revenue.
FINCA DRC confirmed that its Gombe premises had reopened and services had resumed normally. The institution did not publicly specify the reason for the temporary closure.
Boaz Kabeya
China's Chengtun Mining Group is deepening its presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After finalizing the acquisition of Loncor Gold, which owns the Adumbi gold project in Ituri, for C$267 million, the group is now targeting a copper-cobalt asset in Lualaba.
According to an announcement published on April 8, 2026, on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Chengtun Mining plans to invest $300 million to acquire a 50% stake in Nkoyi Leopard Mining and Investment. The company holds 60% of the mining rights to a copper-cobalt project in Lualaba. The transaction would give Chengtun an indirect 30% interest in the project.
Chengtun does not identify the permit concerned in its announcement. Several details, however, suggest the asset is the Kabulungu project, held through Kabulungu Kamilombe Mining (KKM). These include its location in the Congolese Copperbelt, an area exceeding 10.9 square kilometers, and a mining permit valid until January 2040, according to records from the Congolese mining cadastre.
According to Africa Intelligence, KKM is owned 40% by Gécamines and 60% by Nkoyi Leopard Mining, which has ties to the Emirati firm International Resources Holding (IRH).
Chengtun highlighted the project's proximity to its existing industrial facilities in Lualaba, notably Chengtun Congo Mining (CCM S.A.), Chengtun Congo Ressources SARL (CCR), and Kalongwe Mining SA (KMSA). According to the company, the mine is located about 20 kilometers north of the CCR and CCM smelters and 51 kilometers southwest of the KMSA smelter. Its proximity to these facilities would facilitate ore transport and integration with the group's processing operations.
Chengtun said the proximity was one of the deal's main strategic advantages. The company is seeking to better integrate its mining and metallurgical assets in the Congolese Copperbelt, where it already operates processing facilities.
The announcement also states that, based on preliminary estimates from Chengtun's technical teams using available drilling data, the project has average grades of 1.66% copper and 0.67% cobalt. Chengtun added that the deposit exceeds the resource threshold under Chinese standards for large copper mines.
Timothée Manoke
Uganda announced a series of temporary restrictions on transport links with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, citing the risk of cross-border Ebola transmission after new cases were reported in eastern DR Congo.
The measures were approved on May 21, 2026, following a meeting of the National Health Emergency Task Force chaired by Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo, according to Ugandan media reports.
Under the measures, Kampala plans to suspend all direct flights between Uganda and DR Congo within 48 hours. Authorities also suspended cross-border public road transport and passenger ferry services on the Semuliki River for an initial four-week period.
Freight traffic and the movement of essential goods will continue, however, to prevent supply disruptions. Ugandan authorities also ordered the temporary suspension of certain weekly markets in border areas, along with cultural gatherings likely to attract large crowds in districts near Congo.
At the same time, health surveillance systems are being reinforced at border entry points and in high-risk districts. The measures include enhanced screening, contact tracing, expanded isolation capacity and patrols aimed at curbing uncontrolled border crossings.
Regional travel curbs
The restrictions come after Uganda confirmed imported cases linked to the outbreak declared in eastern DR Congo. Ugandan authorities described the measures as temporary and preventive.
Amid tensions with DR Congo, Rwanda has also imposed restrictions. Several international media outlets reported that the border between Goma, controlled by AFC/M23 rebels, and Rwanda had been closed.
The United States has also barred entry since May 18 to any non-American citizen or permanent resident who has been in DR Congo, Uganda or South Sudan during the previous three weeks. The measures have drawn criticism from Africa CDC.
“Broad travel and trade restrictions are not the solution to outbreaks,” the pan-African health agency said, calling instead for stronger regional coordination and improved local health capacity.
Africa CDC also warned about the economic impact that widespread travel and movement restrictions could have across the region.
On Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus published updated outbreak figures showing 82 confirmed cases, seven confirmed deaths, nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths.
An official report released on May 20 had recorded 64 confirmed cases and six confirmed deaths. The latest figures show 18 additional confirmed cases and one more death over two days.
Ronsard Luabeya
Work has resumed on the urban section of National Highway 5 (RN5) in Uvira, with crews laying the first asphalt layer, DR Congo’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works announced on May 21. The project had been suspended since June 2025.
The works concern a roughly 10-kilometer stretch linking the Kavimvira roundabout to the public port of Kalundu. Contractor EIS-EKA said the project was 40% complete a month before work was halted. At the time, the company cited operational constraints. Local media later reported delays in the delivery of materials and equipment, alongside financial constraints and administrative and land-related hurdles.
Before the suspension, local sources had indicated that EIS-EKA was continuing part of the works with its own funds while awaiting the release of planned financing. Funding arrangements for the project remain unclear. Several sources mention support from the central government, sometimes combined with provincial funding and contributions from oil companies.
The section under construction is a key route to the port of Kalundu and to trade flows with neighboring Burundi. However, it represents only a small portion of the broader RN5 corridor, which stretches more than 1,300 kilometers from Bukavu to Lubumbashi.
On the ground, paving works are still focused on priority sections, particularly in South Kivu. The Bukavu-Nyangezi-Kamanyola section, spanning around 55 kilometers, is among the most advanced projects. That site falls under the Sino-Congolese cooperation program, with SISC SA as the main contractor and Sinohydro 14 as subcontractor.
Upgrading RN5 is considered an economic priority for eastern Congo. The corridor is expected to improve connectivity between Bukavu, Uvira, Baraka, Fizi, Kalemie and, further south, parts of Haut-Katanga province.
The road also provides a domestic alternative to routes that transit neighboring countries, especially for freight moving between South Kivu and the rest of the country. Commercially, the upgrade could reduce transport costs, ease the movement of agricultural goods and strengthen trade between eastern and southeastern provinces.
Boaz Kabeya