Uranium in cobalt exports: the DRC announces checks and requests IAEA assistance

In a statement dated Thursday, August 6, the Congolese Ministry of Communication noted that it had taken note of the study published on July 30. The document nonetheless estimates that its results have “methodological limits,” particularly because they rely on modeling rather than direct measurements taken from the exported shipments.

The authorities also state that their own analyses do not confirm the trends presented in the study. According to the ministry, examining the mineral composition of mining products intended for export does not, at this stage, allow for the conclusions put forward by the researchers to be established.

The government plans to launch a campaign for contradictory analytical verification. It also announces the creation of an inter-ministerial working group tasked with assessing any health and environmental risks related to the presence of uranium in the exported ores. A report is expected within 60 days.

Kinshasa requests international technical support

The Democratic Republic of Congo also wishes to request the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for a technical support mission. The details and schedule of this intervention have not yet been specified.

The revelations at the heart of the controversy come from an investigation conducted by Lighthouse Reports, in collaboration with Le Monde and Financial Times. Based notably on the study published in Nature Communications, the journalists estimate that between 2,000 and 5,000 tons of uranium may have been exported to China over the past twenty years along with cobalt, presented as the main product of the shipments.

The investigation mentions the presence of uranium as a “by-product of cobalt.” However, it does not itself constitute a direct measure of the total volumes exported, which is emphasized by the Congolese government. Lighthouse Reports has announced the preparation of a second phase of its investigations.

The Chinese mining group CMOC, cited in the investigation due to its activities at the Tenke Fungurume site in the Lualaba province, has denied the accusations of exceeding uranium thresholds. The company had contested these allegations a few days prior to the publication of the Congolese authorities’ statement.