In cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In his book *The World’s Eye: Mining in the Digital Age in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo*, James H. Smith—a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Davis—also questions formalization, drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in the DRC. He argues that formalization has spawned a shadow economy that provides fraudulent certification for mineral bags and perpetuates colonial-era tropes: “Corporations can cloak themselves in the symbols of cleanliness, civility, and peace, while those they displace are once again cast as embodiments of darkness and barbarism.” Moreover, banning artisanal mining—which “keeps people away from even more violent livelihoods”—may have harmful consequences: Smith notes that security conditions deteriorated in areas where mining was prohibited. *The World’s Eye* examines how “dispersed” groups of artisanal miners collaborate amid the ruins left by war and industrialization to sustain themselves and fragile communities. For Smith, the “resource curse” can be overcome through “collective decision-making about the use of—and future of—the Earth and its products.” He writes: “I came here to see the people who work in this industry.” His work is restorative: physically and conceptually, he grapples with some of the deepest issues and transformations of our time, pioneering new ways of engaging with and thinking about global capitalism. Smith urges us to “imagine what political organizational models might emerge if minerals extracted by artisanal miners were not crushed by corporations and states.” What British Ambassador to the DRC Merton described at the Congo Mining Week is already unfolding. In China, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries power more electric vehicles than cobalt-containing ones; meanwhile, U.S. EV manufacturers are beginning to adopt batteries with little or no cobalt. (Solid-state battery technology will further reduce cobalt demand.) Partly this shift reflects economics—cobalt is far more expensive than many other minerals—but it also stems from negative media coverage. Its price has recently plummeted, and all my sources in the DRC report that people are suffering and mining under increasingly dangerous conditions. Readers’ reactions to the publicity surrounding *Red Cobalt* cannot resolve the complex questions raised by artisanal mining in Manichean terms. Some—particularly advocates of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles—have called for boycotts of so-called “blood cobalt.” In late June, New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith introduced legislation to ban imports of cobalt and lithium from the DRC, claiming “China is leveraging the DRC’s abundant cobalt resources to advance its economic and global agenda.” Kara praised Smith’s “courage and moral leadership” on Twitter. Yet, without major investment in alternative income sources, such boycotts would simply cut off a lifeline for the region’s poorest populations. (To be fair, I recently learned that Smith and his colleagues in Washington are exploring ways to create non-mining jobs in southern DRC.) Such boycotts may also fail to halt artisanal mining: nearly all cobalt mines in southern DRC also contain substantial copper deposits—copper has been mined there since at least the 4th century CE, and demand for copper remains high in Africa’s rapidly growing, electrifying economy.

The DRC has taken action against cobalt: quota cancellation + KCC seizure—are these two events one and the same?

The second blow came on July 9: the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Directorate General of Taxes (DGI) deployed law enforcement officers to seize Kamoto Copper Company’s (KCC) offices and certain production facilities in Kolwezi. The stated reason was suspected tax arrears totaling approximately $3 billion (Bloomberg, 2026-07-10; Antaike, 2026-07-13). At first glance, the two events appear independent—but in reality, they constitute two links in a single logical chain: quota cancellation represents “institutional rent extraction,” while the KCC seizure exemplifies “escalated enforcement as a model case.” Only by understanding this chain can one grasp what the DRC truly intends regarding cobalt—a strategic resource. II. First Half: Quota Cancellation on June 29—“Rent Extraction” Institutionalized The DRC supplies roughly 70%–78% of the world’s mine-produced cobalt (Darton Commodities, 2026), making it the absolute linchpin of the global cobalt supply chain. In February 2025, the DRC first imposed an export ban to prop up cobalt prices; in October of the same year, it shifted to a quota system, which took full effect in 2026 as an annual quota regime. Key figures (DRC Cobalt Export Quota Table, 2025): - 2026 Base Quota Total: 87,000 tonnes; plus a Strategic Quota of 9,600 tonnes, fully allocated by ARECOMS—bringing the total to approximately 96,600 tonnes (Mysteel, 2025-10-10). - Q4 2025 Base Quota: only 18,125 tonnes—actual exports in the first half of the year fell far below historical levels (DRC Quota Table). - Unused quotas automatically expire: quotas unutilized by June 30 are transferred into the Strategic Pool; only volumes entered into customs systems by July 5 qualify for export authorization (Mysteel, 2026-06-29). Quota allocation is highly concentrated: | Enterprise | 2026 Annual Quota (tonnes) | Share | |------------|----------------------------|--------| | CMOC (Luoyang Molybdenum) | 31,200 (KFM 20,400 + TFM 10,800) | ~36% | | Glencore | 18,840 (KCC 13,320 + MUMI 5,520) | ~22% | | Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) | 10,200 (Metalkol) | ~12% | This means the quota cancellation most directly impacts enterprises hindered by logistical bottlenecks and unable to ship on schedule—while CMOC and Glencore, the two largest players, together account for nearly 60% of the annual quota (DRC Quota Table, 2025). III. Second Half: KCC Seizure on July 9—A Model Case of Escalated Enforcement KCC is one of the DRC’s largest copper-cobalt producers. Its equity structure comprises 70% Glencore and 30% Gécamines—the DRC’s state-owned mining company (Darton, 2026; CMOC 2025 Semi-Annual Report). Core Data Card (KCC): - Annual cobalt output: 27,200 tonnes (2024); projected at 27,500 tonnes (2025) and 28,100 tonnes (2026) (Darton, 2026). - 2026 export quota: 13,320 tonnes (DRC Quota Table, 2025).

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DRC authorities seized thousands of tons of copper and cobalt, triggering an official probe into illegal mining operations. The crackdown affects major industry players including Glencore and CMOC in the country's critical mineral-rich provinces.

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Congo to Probe Illegal Mining After Seizing Copper and Cobalt

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