DR Congo to test uranium claims in China-bound cobalt

The Democratic Republic of Congo's government said on Friday it will investigate the presence of uranium in its cobalt exports after allegations that radioactive material had entered shipments sent to China.

An investigation published in late July in Nature Communications, involving the Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports, alleged that Chinese companies had extracted and exported cobalt hydroxide shipments containing significant quantities of uranium from the DRC. The companies involved denied the claims.

Congolese authorities denied violating the DRC's international commitments. They said uranium occurs naturally in the southeast's copper and cobalt veins and described its presence there as well documented.

The government also said the study was not based on direct measurements carried out on exported shipments. It announced consultations with the International Atomic Energy Agency and said tests would be conducted by a national laboratory and an accredited international laboratory.

The DRC supplies 68 percent of the world's cobalt, and most of its cobalt is exported to China. The country was also Africa's largest copper producer in 2025, with 3.4 million tonnes.