[CLSTR]
< Back to situations

Monitor this situation.

[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [BUSINESS]

2 clusters · 4 sources · 18 days · First seen · Last updated

DRC mineral production and export trends

Overview

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is experiencing shifts in its mineral export landscape. In the first half of 2026, the country saw a significant rise in zinc production and export revenues, largely driven by the Kipushi mine in the Haut-Katanga region. This mine, a joint venture between Gécamines and Ivanhoe Mines, contributed 135,221 tons of the country's total 144,140 tons of zinc produced during that period.

Parallel to these reported increases in zinc, research suggests that substantial, unreported quantities of uranium may be exiting the country. Due to the natural geologic co-occurrence of uranium and cobalt in the Copperbelt region, experts indicate that uranium can be difficult to separate during extraction and may be moved alongside cobalt. While the Shinkolobwe mine has been officially closed since 2004, the shared chemical behavior of these minerals suggests potential illicit movement of uranium despite a lack of official reporting in recent decades.

Entities

Democratic Republic of the Congo · Gécamines · Kipushi mine · Shinkolobwe mine · Ivanhoe Mines

Timeline

  1. about 9 hours ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    DR Congo uranium exports suspected to be occurring unreported

    Geological research suggests substantial unreported uranium is being exported from the DRC, likely hidden due to its natural co-occurrence and similar chemical processing with cobalt in the Copperbelt.

  2. 18 days ago

    [BUSINESS] 2 sources
    Kipushi mine drives surge in DRC zinc production and exports

    Zinc production in the DRC is surging, led by the Kipushi mine's output. With zinc prices at a four-year high, the country is significantly increasing its mineral export revenues.

Sources

afrikactus.com · ecofinagency.com · no2nuclearpower.org.uk · wakefield.com