Chinese mining companies dominate the Congo’s critical mineral production, but a nasty dispute at a cobalt mine shows the country is starting to drive a harder bargain.
Illustration by Tim Marrs
When Dr. Sage Ngoie Mbayo arrived at the gate of the Tenke-Fungurume Mine (TFM), on June 10, he only had one goal: to smooth things over.
The mine is one of the crown jewels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s impressive mineral treasure chest. It alone contributes 14 percent of the world's supply of cobalt, a critical input to electric vehicle batteries. But since August 2021, TFM has been locked in something of a tug-of-war between the Congolese government and a state-backed Chinese
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