--- title: Congo Mines Nearly Three Quarters of the World's Cobalt and Now Caps What It Exports description: The DRC accounts for an estimated 73% of mined cobalt and has capped exports since October. Its ambassador set out three asks of Washington on the Genocost. author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief) updated: 2026-08-03T05:41:00.516Z canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/drc-cobalt-export-quotas-genocost-us-minerals categories: Politics content_type: News region: Middle East & Africa publication: Sovereign Magazine schema_type: Article --- The Democratic Republic of the Congo produced 230,000 tonnes of mined cobalt in 2025, an estimated 73% of the world total, and since October it has capped how much of it may leave the country. On 2 August, marking the National Day of Commemoration for the Genocost, the DRC's ambassador to the United States, Yvette Kapinga Ngandu, set out three things she wants Washington to do as America secures the critical mineral supply chains it needs. The commemoration falls on the anniversary of 2 August 1998, when foreign armies and their proxies invaded eastern DRC and began the Second Congo War. The DRC enshrined the Genocost into law in 2022, and President Felix Tshisekedi launched the national day of remembrance the following year. Commemorations were held across the country and among its diaspora, including at the eternal flame at Place du Genocost in Kinshasa. ## The Export Caps Came From Oversupply, Not From Politics The United States Geological Survey records the DRC as the world's leading source of mined cobalt at [an estimated 73% of the world total](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-cobalt.pdf), ahead of Indonesia at 14%. It puts DRC mine production at 226,000 tonnes in 2024 and 230,000 tonnes in 2025, against reserves of 6 million tonnes. In February 2025 the government temporarily banned cobalt exports to address market oversupply and low prices. In October it replaced the ban with quotas: 18,125 tonnes of contained cobalt for the remainder of 2025, and up to 96,600 tonnes a year in 2026 and 2027, of which 9,600 tonnes are set aside for national strategic reserves. The refining sits elsewhere. China remains the world's leading producer of refined cobalt and its leading consumer, mostly for the lithium-ion battery industry. American appetite is visible in the stockpile accounts: in 2025 the United States published a solicitation to buy 7,480 tonnes of cobalt over five years for the National Defense Stockpile, then cancelled it before the year was out. ## The Three Asks Are Enforcement, Accountability and Traceability Ngandu's first ask concerned the peace agreement. “First, see the peace through. The agreement the United States brokered between Kinshasa and Kigali was a diplomatic achievement, but peace agreements are tested after the pomp and circumstance of a signing ceremony. Washington should insist on full implementation and impose real consequences for violations.” The second concerned the courts. “Second, support accountability. The United States should back an international justice mechanism for the crimes documented in the Mapping Report and lend its voice to formal recognition of what happened in the Congo. Truth is not a substitute for justice.” The third went to the commercial relationship. “Third, build the U.S.-DRC partnership the right way. As America secures the critical mineral supply chains it needs, it should insist on traceability and investment that reaches Congolese communities. Minerals from the Congo should fund schools, hospitals, and jobs, not militias. American companies and consumers have leverage. We ask them to use it.” She also pointed to steps taken at home under Tshisekedi, among them a national fund to compensate victims, the peace agreement signed with Rwanda, and the economic partnership with the United States. ## The UN Recorded 617 Incidents and Set Out What They Could Amount To The Mapping Report she refers to is a United Nations inventory of the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed in the DRC between March 1993 and June 2003. It states that the vast majority of the [617 listed incidents](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Countries/CD/DRC_MAPPING_REPORT_FINAL_EN.pdf) “could constitute crimes under international law, given full judicial investigation and prosecution”, and that these “include war crimes committed during armed conflict, either internal or international, or crimes against humanity committed in the context of a generalised or systematic attack against a civilian population”. The report is explicit that this is what the incidents could amount to if investigated and proven before a competent court. It reaches no finding of guilt. Ngandu's argument is that the minerals and the violence are one subject. “Most Americans have never heard of the Genocost,” she said. “The suffering in the DR Congo was not random. It followed the minerals. The regions that endured the worst of the violence sit atop some of the richest deposits on the planet. Those same minerals now power the phone in your pocket, the laptop on your desk and the electric vehicle in your driveway. Our history and your daily life are connected.” Speaking at the commemoration, she said: “On August 2, we light candles for people the world never counted.” The embassy's own account of the commemoration is at [ambadrcusa.org](https://www.ambadrcusa.org/). ## FAQ **Q: What is the Genocost?** The Genocost is the Democratic Republic of the Congo's commemoration of those killed, displaced or otherwise affected by the conflict tied to the exploitation of its natural resources. The DRC enshrined it into law in 2022, and President Felix Tshisekedi launched a national day of remembrance the following year. It is marked on 2 August, the anniversary of the 1998 invasion of eastern DRC that began the Second Congo War. **Q: What is the UN Mapping Report on the DRC?** It is a United Nations inventory of the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed on DRC territory between March 1993 and June 2003. It lists 617 incidents and states that the vast majority of them could constitute crimes under international law, including war crimes or crimes against humanity, if investigated and proven in a judicial process. The report itself makes no finding of guilt. **Q: How much of the world's cobalt comes from the DRC?** An estimated 73% of the world's mined cobalt, according to the United States Geological Survey, ahead of Indonesia at 14%. The USGS puts DRC mine production at 226,000 tonnes in 2024 and 230,000 tonnes in 2025, with reserves of 6 million tonnes. Refining is a separate matter: China remains the leading producer of refined cobalt and the leading consumer. **Q: Why did the DRC restrict cobalt exports?** To address market oversupply and low prices, according to the USGS. The government temporarily banned cobalt exports in February 2025 and replaced the ban in October with export quotas of 18,125 tonnes of contained cobalt for the rest of 2025 and up to 96,600 tonnes a year in 2026 and 2027, including 9,600 tonnes for national strategic reserves.