EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO — The Democratic Republic of the Congo's General Inspectorate of Mines announced the creation of a paramilitary unit known as the mining guard to secure the country's large mining sites and minerals transport networks. The $100 million programme will be backed by investments from the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

The IGM described the mining guard as a paramilitary special unit intended to secure the entire mineral exploitation chain in the DRC. Recruits will undergo a six-month training programme, with the first contingent expected to be deployed in December. The guard will be responsible for securing mining sites and minerals transport networks across the country.

"By the end of 2028, a gradual deployment is planned of a workforce of more than 20,000 guards covering the 22 mining provinces under IGM supervision," the General Inspectorate of Mines said.

Inspector General of Mines Rafael Kabengele said the initiative was designed to "clean up the entire mining sector by eliminating practices that run counter to good governance, transparency and the traceability of minerals." Kabengele did not specify a timeline for when those goals would be achieved.

The DRC is responsible for about 70 percent of the global output of cobalt and holds deposits of copper, coltan and lithium. Chinese mining firms have a dominant position in the country, and the U.S. is pushing to reduce that dominance. Last year, the DRC and the U.S. signed a minerals partnership under which U.S. firm Virtus Minerals has taken over copper and cobalt miner Chemaf.

Mineral deposits have been linked to rebel activity in eastern DRC. Rwanda backed the M23 armed group as it pushed into eastern DRC in 2025. In December of that year, the DRC and Rwanda signed an agreement aimed at ending the conflict. The agreement includes an economic component aimed at driving the supply of strategic minerals for U.S. interests.