The Democratic Republic of Congo reinstated a ban on exports of copper concentrate and cobalt concentrate on August 6, blocking raw ore from leaving the country unprocessed; TRT Afrika described it as a major escalation of the DRC's drive to capture more mining value domestically; Crypto Briefing noted the ban also affects crypto miners who rely on cobalt-linked supply chains

The Democratic Republic of Congo's constitutional court approved a referendum law on July 28, clearing a legal route to amend a constitution that currently bars Presidents from serving more than two terms; President Felix Tshisekedi, 63, is due to end his second and constitutionally final term in late 2028; opposition lawmakers and civil society groups condemned the ruling as an attack on constitutional safeguards

The Democratic Republic of Congo's C64 opposition coalition postponed planned nationwide protests until July 22 following a mediation initiative by Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye as current African Union chair; the coalition accuses President Felix Tshisekedi of using a proposed constitutional referendum to remove presidential term limits

Kinshasa assumed the rotating UNSC presidency on July 1 and plans to use it to press for a first-of-its-kind binding resolution establishing global standards for mineral resource governance, directly targeting Rwanda's alleged plunder of eastern Congo's cobalt, coltan and gold

Kinshasa's application, the third attempt in 25 years, accuses Kigali of genocide, torture and sexual violence from 1996 to the present; Rwanda dismisses evidence of M23 support

The transition metal underpinning lithium-ion batteries, with the Democratic Republic of Congo supplying roughly 76% of world mine output and wielding OPEC-style export quotas since late 2025.

Tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo fund armed groups; US and EU law require importers to trace and disclose their supply chains.

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's three-decade insurgency, now centered on Rwanda-backed M23 rebels holding North and South Kivu, is Africa's largest displacement crisis.

A 10 June 2026 investigation says Rubaya coltan, taxed by M23 at $4/kg, is relabelled Rwandan and sold into the world's biggest tech brands

FARDC drones hit an M23 position five miles north of Goma; M23 and Wazalendo militias clash along the Masisi-Walikale border, both sides building up troops in the Kivus despite the US-brokered truce

The DRC announced in April 2026 a new paramilitary unit backed by the US and UAE to secure major cobalt, copper and lithium mining sites; in March the DRC, Rwanda and US agreed Washington Accords implementation steps including M23 withdrawal and FDLR disarmament

A fifth Joint Oversight Committee met in April; the DRC-M23 Doha framework's key provisions remain unimplemented, Qatar, Togo, the US and the AU keep the process alive as fighting continues