Why Does the DRC Secretly Export Uranium to China?

Uranium from the Democratic Republic of Congo has been exported to China for years despite a national ban on commercial uranium exports, according to an investigation published today by Dutch nonprofit Lighthouse Reports.

The investigation alleges that between 2,000 and 5,000 metric tons of uranium were shipped from Congo to China between 2000 and 2024, largely as a by-product of cobalt mining in the country’s southeastern Katanga region.

Lighthouse Reports said its findings were based on a leaked memo attributed to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as well as internal documents from Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), one of the world’s largest cobalt producers. TFM is majority owned by China’s CMOC Group after acquiring control from U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan in 2016.

Impact Newswire could not independently verify the allegations or the authenticity of the leaked documents.

The report said the uranium was recovered alongside cobalt ore and exported to China despite a prohibition on commercial uranium exports from Congo.

The DRC is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a key battery metal, with China dominating both the processing of Congolese cobalt and global battery supply chains. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the country accounted for roughly three-quarters of global mined cobalt production in 2025, while China refines the vast majority of the world’s cobalt chemicals.

The investigation focuses on the Shinkolobwe mine in Haut-Katanga province, one of the world’s richest historical uranium deposits. Uranium from Shinkolobwe supplied the Manhattan Project during World War Two, including material used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Although Congolese authorities officially closed the mine in 2004 over safety and security concerns, artisanal mining has continued in the surrounding area, raising longstanding concerns over radioactive material entering commercial supply chains.

The IAEA has previously worked with Congolese authorities on securing radioactive materials and monitoring legacy uranium sites, while experts have warned that uranium can occur naturally alongside copper and cobalt deposits in the Central African Copperbelt, requiring careful separation during processing.

The report is likely to renew scrutiny of China’s dominance in Congolese critical minerals. Chinese companies have invested billions of dollars in the country’s mining sector over the past two decades and now control many of its largest copper and cobalt operations, including Tenke Fungurume and Kisanfu.

China imports about 95% of Congo’s cobalt ore exports, according to trade data cited by Lighthouse Reports, underscoring Beijing’s central role in global battery supply chains.

It was not immediately clear whether Congolese authorities or Chinese regulators had launched investigations into the allegations.

The Shinkolobwe supplied most of the high-grade uranium used by the U.S. Manhattan Project during World War Two before being officially closed in 2004 because of safety and proliferation concerns.

The copper-cobalt deposits of the Central African Copperbelt naturally contain uranium. Mining experts have long noted that uranium can be recovered as a by-product during processing if not removed as waste.

Chinese companies dominate Congo’s mining sector following a wave of acquisitions over the past 20 years. CMOC became the controlling shareholder of TFM after purchasing Freeport-McMoRan’s stake in 2016 and later acquired the nearby Kisanfu project.

Congo holds the world’s largest cobalt reserves and remains the leading producer of the battery metal, while China dominates refining and battery making.

The Lighthouse Reports investigation relies on leaked documents and company records but does not establish whether any exports violated Chinese import regulations or involved declared uranium shipments.

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