DR Congo to set up paramilitary unit to secure mines

The central African nation produces around 70 percent of global cobalt output -- key for making electric batteries and in defence technology -- and holds some of the world's richest deposits of copper, coltan and lithium.

Chinese mining firms have a dominant position in the country, though there are companies from the United States and elsewhere.

The General Inspectorate of Mines (IGM), a government body that oversees and fights fraud in the mining sector, announced the creation of "the mining guard".

It said in a statement it was a "paramilitary special unit intended to secure the entire mineral exploitation chain" in the DRC.

With funding of $100 million, it said the plan was part of "strategic partnerships" with the United States and United Arab Emirates but gave no details on its sources of financing.

The DRC and Rwanda signed an agreement in December aimed at ending conflict in the eastern DRC, a region long mired in violence which has intensified with the emergence of the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group.

The accord includes an economic component aimed at ensuring that American high-tech companies have a supply of strategic minerals.

The IGM said the mining guard would be responsible for securing mining sites and mineral transport.

"By the end of 2028, a gradual deployment is planned of a workforce of more than 20,000 guards covering the 22 mining provinces under IGM supervision," the body said.

Recruits will undergo a six-month training programme, with a first contingent deployed in December this year, it said.