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RAID and AFREWATCH publish scientific evidence of pollution at three major copper-cobalt mines
The report “A deadly chemical trail”, with Source International and University of Lubumbashi scientists, found airborne dust and elevated heavy metals and uranium in water around Tenke Fungurume (CMOC), Mutanda (Glencore) and COMMUS (Zijin). CMOC disputed the causation, Glencore acknowledged the findings, and Zijin did not respond substantively.
IMF reaches staff-level agreement on third ECF and second RSF reviews
The mission concluded the 2026 Article IV consultation and a staff-level agreement on the third ECF and second RSF reviews, reporting that 46% of identified 2022–25 Sicomines projects had been executed, up from under 10% at end-2024. Board approval and any disbursement were not yet confirmed.
2026 cobalt quota shared out as early-year exports run below allocation
Under the 2026 cap, CMOC’s Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu received about 31,920 tonnes and Glencore’s KCC and Mutanda about 22,800 tonnes, with EGC fourth at 5,640 tonnes. Only about 7,800 tonnes was cleared between December 2025 and February 2026, well below allocation, and ARECOMS extended quota validity into mid-2026.
Fastmarkets · Kitco · S&P Global
DRC creates a strategic reserve for cobalt, coltan and germanium under ARECOMS
The Council of Ministers adopted a decree authorising ARECOMS to acquire, hold, manage and market volumes of strategic minerals; the regulator’s head presented the scheme in Paris on 15 April 2026. For cobalt the reserve aligns with the 9,600-tonne strategic quota for 2026.
ITIE-RDC works to finalise a draft decree creating a beneficial-ownership register
With GIZ/LuCoFFI support, ITIE-RDC held a strategic workshop on the draft ministerial decree to operationalise a public beneficial-ownership register under EITI Requirement 2.5, building on a 2024 CENAREF preparatory step. As of mid-2026 no decree is signed and no public register exists.
ITIE-RDC · CENAREF
US sanctions the Rwanda Defence Force over Washington Accords violations
The US Treasury designated the Rwanda Defence Force and four senior officers, citing M23’s continued territorial gains in eastern DRC in breach of the December 2025 accords. M23’s control of the Rubaya coltan mine is the central minerals link.
DRC reported to have ordered a fresh audit of the Sicomines deal
Trade press reported the appointment of external counsel (Mayer Brown) to audit the ~USD 9bn minerals-for-infrastructure project. Figure and scope await a primary-source confirmation.
MiningFocus Africa · Ecofin Agency
Dutch probe into Gertler closed while he remains under US sanctions
Dutch prosecutors closed their investigation into Dan Gertler over Congo mining deals, with a linked firm paying USD 30m to settle and bribery allegations dropped. As of mid-2026 Gertler remained on the US Treasury’s SDN list despite the 2025 return of Ventora assets to the state.
US Treasury (OFAC) · Bloomberg · CBS News
Baraka Kabemba appointed Director-General of Gécamines in a management overhaul
Presidential ordinances named Baraka Kabemba, a chartered accountant and former Ernst & Young partner, as Director-General, with Deogratias Ngele Masudi as board chairman. The reshuffle was framed against the US–DRC minerals partnership.
ACP · Reuters · Ecofin Agency
Gécamines wins rights to market 30% of KCC output
For a two-year period, extending the state miner’s now-recurring move to market its own equity share of production across major JVs.
Glencore · trade press
US–DRC partnership implementation launched; first strategic-reserve assets designated
The inaugural Joint Steering Committee formally began implementing the December 2025 agreement; the DRC designated an initial, evolving list of state mineral assets for the Strategic Asset Reserve, and the committee reviewed the Sakania–Lobito corridor. The asset list had been shared with Washington in mid-January 2026.
US State Dept · Top Africa News · Mongabay
ITIE-RDC progress report records 337 contract documents online and 27% of activities completed
Reporting on the chapter’s 2023–2024 Annual Progress Report, press put 337 documents (contracts, amendments and annexes) on the Ministry of Mines site, while only 27% of planned 2024 activities were completed, attributed to underfunding. The figures are the chapter’s own.
ITIE-RDC (2023–2024 Progress Report) · LePoint.cd
Older context (the 2017 Carter Center “missing revenues” finding, the 2017–18 Gertler sanctions, the March 2024 Sicomines Amendment 5) is carried on the Debates page rather than repeated here, since the feed tracks new developments.