DR Congo Debunks Mineral Wealth Sale Allegations in US Deal. City, Country — Cape Town, South Africa — February 11, 2026 The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has categorically denied allegations that it has sold off its mineral wealth to the United States under a recent agreement.
The deal, which was signed in December, is aimed at providing the U.
S. With access to the DRC’s reserves of copper, cobalt, coltan, and lithium, as part of efforts to counterbalance China’s dominance in the global supply chains of critical minerals.
DRC’s Mining Minister Louis Watum, speaking on the sidelines of the African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town, emphasized that the country has not sold off any of its resources. “.
The DRC has not sold off anything at all.
The DRC has not sold anything at all, “Watum stated, rejecting suggestions that the DRC had ceded ground in negotiations with Washington.
The agreement, according to Watum, establishes a framework for discussions with U.
S. Companies regarding potential investment projects. “
Some may invest and others not.
And when they do, it will be in strict compliance with the mining code, “he added.
Despite the agreement being part of a broader peace accord aimed at ending the long — running conflict in the eastern DRC, Watum noted that it has not yet halted the fighting in the region.
The DRC has submitted a list of strategic projects to the U. S.
For review by a joint steering committee, as announced by Vice Premier Daniel Mukoko Samba at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
Watum also addressed the ongoing rivalry between the U. S.
And China in the Congolese mining sector, stating that Kinshasa is focused on domestic priorities, such as education and job creation for its 120 million people. “
We’re not interested in that. We have to play our own game as DRC, “he.
The DRC’s vast mineral wealth remains largely untapped, with only about 10 percent currently developed.
The country holds some of the world’s richest deposits of copper, cobalt, coltan, and lithium, and accounted for 76 percent of global cobalt output in 2024, according to the U. S.
Geological Survey.
The agreement has been met with mixed reactions, with some suggesting it could potentially boost Rwandan processing of Congolese minerals, indicating a regional economic dimension to the deal. Further details are expected as the situation develops.
Source: [newvision. Co.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 4*
