<\/p>\n
Strategist plus Economic Analyst AL Kitenge, based in the DRC, said the plan reflects a need to regain supervision across mineral value chains, particularly as artisanal mining expands alongside smuggling plus illegal exploitation linked to armed conflict.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kitenge said mining revenue remains heavily concentrated in the sector, with estimates of 80% to 85% of national revenue linked to mining activity. Kitenge said the priority is tighter oversight of who exploits resources, how much production moves out, where minerals are transported, plus whether extraction complies with national rules.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kitenge said technology is expected to play a central role in strengthening transparency, with better information intended to reduce domination of mineral sites by criminal networks. Kitenge described information as the first requirement for accountability, while acknowledging that implementation details remain unclear.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kitenge said the establishment timeline could be relatively fast, with an operational launch possible within six months.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reports referenced during the interview indicated a workforce of about 20 000 guards intended to secure activity across 22 mining provinces, though Kitenge said recruitment sources cannot be confirmed. Kitenge said Congolese participation is expected, citing existing legal protections aimed at supporting local employment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kitenge said the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains responsible for about 70% of global cobalt output, with about 15% of cobalt linked to artisanal mining. Kitenge said artisanal supply flows are harder to control than industrial operations, increasing vulnerability to smuggling plus informal market activity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kitenge said the goal is a neutral oversight capacity that applies consistent controls across operators, regardless of national origin. Kitenge said a US-backed entry point does not necessarily exclude additional participation later, with monitoring expected to rely on common tools plus standards.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kitenge said improved transparency plus professional enforcement could support investor confidence while helping the state capture a larger share of mineral income.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":33572,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-33571","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced plans to establish a United States (US)-backed paramilitary unit intended to safeguard the mining sector, protect critical mineral supply chains, plus secure extraction sites plus transport routes amid continuing instability in eastern provinces.","published_date":"","news_description":"The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced plans to establish a United States (US)-backed paramilitary unit intended to safeguard the mining sector, protect critical mineral supply chains, plus secure extraction sites plus transport routes amid continuing instability in eastern provinces.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33573,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/33571\/revisions\/33573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=33571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}