Congo to supply copper to Saudi Arabia and the UAE under US-backed deal

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has agreed to ship copper to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates under a new, US-backed partnership aimed at weakening China’s grip on global supplies of critical minerals.

Congo’s state mining company, Gécamines, will deliver about 50,000 tons of copper cathode through a joint venture with commodities trader Mercuria Energy Group, according to US officials involved in the project. The venture is being supported by the US International Development Finance Corporation, which is in talks to help finance the operation.

The partnership had already committed last month to supply 100,000 tons of copper to the United States.

US officials say the project is designed to redirect strategic mineral flows toward the United States and allied countries while strengthening Congo’s economic prospects. 

Although driven by geopolitical priorities, the venture is structured as a commercial investment expected to generate returns for the US government.

Mercuria declined to comment on the agreement, and Gécamines did not respond to requests for comment.

The announcement was made during an international conference on critical minerals in Washington, at a time when metals markets are experiencing sharp volatility as governments and traders race to secure long-term access to materials essential for energy, technology and defense industries.

Chinese companies currently dominate both the mining and processing of Congo’s copper and cobalt, giving Beijing an outsized role in supply chains for some of the world’s most important industrial and battery metals.

The deal reflects the Trump administration’s increasingly unconventional approach to reducing dependence on China, including backing projects in higher-risk environments that previous US administrations might have avoided.

DRC is the world’s second-largest copper producer and holds some of the richest cobalt deposits globally. In parallel with the new export arrangements, Congolese authorities have offered the United States access to mining and infrastructure projects in exchange for security support to help contain an insurgency in the country’s eastern regions linked to neighboring Rwanda.