US Rejects Funding for DRC’s New Mining Protection Force
The United States has rejected a proposal to fund a new security unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tasked with protecting mineral mines across the country.
The DRC’s mining regulatory body has announced on April 27 that new force would begin operations late this year with 3,000 personnel, with plans to expand to 20,000 by 2028.
The agency explained that the unit's operations were budgeted at $100 million and claimed it would be funded by the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), based on existing partnerships.
The Embassy in the DRC clarified a day later that while both nations share a mutually beneficial partnership regarding economy and security, the U.S. has no plans to finance this specific unit.
"The United States will not provide funding for the unit intended to protect the security of mineral mines in the DRC," the Embassy stated.
Pressure from the U.S. Embassy prompted the DRC mining regulatory body to issue a corrective statement later that same day.
The agency clarified that while the project to establish the force is part of a broader dialogue with multiple partners—including the U.S. and the UAE—no foreign country will be providing it with financial support.
