DR Congo uranium hidden in cobalt exports to China, investigation finds

An internal 2009 memo from the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated that uranium occurs in significant quantities in most cobalt ore from the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has been exported as a by‑product of cobalt shipments. An investigation by Lighthouse Reports, in partnership with the Financial Times and Le Monde, estimated that between 2,000 and 5,000 tonnes of uranium have been sent to China over the past 20 years, despite a formal ban on uranium exports from the DRC.

Cobalt from Katanga now largely flows to China, which in 2023 refined about 80% of the world’s cobalt supply, with roughly 95% of Congolese cobalt destined for Chinese processors. Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin‑Madison, including Sébastien Philippe and Ryan Manzuk, helped quantify the uranium volume using historic concentration data.