Congo said Monday it is creating a paramilitary guard intended to secure its mining operations, a move it tied to investor confidence, mineral oversight and efforts to stabilize a volatile region where armed groups control parts of the mineral supply. The General Inspectorate of Mines said the force will be deployed in stages, beginning with training before the unit takes on expanded security duties linked to mine sites and the movement of minerals.
The inspectorate said the guard will be deployed gradually, with an initial 2,500 to 3,000 personnel expected to be operational by December after six months of training focused on military collaboration. The plan projects that the force will grow to more than 20,000 personnel across Congo’s 22 mining provinces by the end of 2028, the statement said.
In the statement, the inspector general of mines, Rafael Kabengele, said the goal is to “clean up the entire mining sector, by eliminating practices that run counter to good governance, transparency and the traceability of minerals,” according to the inspectorate. The inspectorate said the new paramilitary unit will take over security duties currently performed by conventional military forces.
The mandate described by the inspectorate includes securing mine sites, escorting mineral shipments to processing facilities and border crossings, and protecting foreign investments. Congo has faced repeated criticism and persistent challenges over illicit mineral trafficking, particularly in its eastern provinces where fighting has damaged economic activity and displaced large numbers of people.
The announcement also placed the mining-security plan in the context of Congo’s critical-minerals outreach. The statement said Washington and Congo have been working to lock in access to minerals as part of a U.S.-linked effort to reduce China’s dominance over critical mineral supply chains. Congo and the U.S. signed a minerals partnership last year, under which the American firm Virtus Minerals took over the copper-cobalt miner Chemaf, with other Western companies also expressing interest, including some with assets in rebel-held territory.
Congo is a major supplier of coltan, the statement said, noting that coltan contains tantalum used in products ranging from smartphones and computers to aircraft engines. It said Congo produced about 40% of the world’s coltan in 2023, citing the U.S. Geological Survey, and that more than 15% of the world’s tantalum supply comes from the Rubaya mines in the east, which have been under rebel control. Eastern Congo has been in and out of crisis for decades, with dozens of armed groups active.
The inspectorate’s statement described the guard’s funding as a $100 million program supported through partnerships with the United States and the United Arab Emirates. It tied the plan to Congo’s wider security and governance challenges as the eastern region remains affected by both negotiations and fighting involving armed groups including the M23 rebels. Negotiations continue between M23 rebels and Congo, but the statement said fighting continues on several fronts in the east.