The Democratic Republic of the Congo has opened an investigation into the export of uranium hidden inside cobalt hydroxide shipments, a practice that apparently went on for nearly a quarter century without triggering international safeguards. The probe follows a joint investigation by the Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports, published on July 30, that laid out how an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 tonnes of natural uranium left the country between 2000 and 2024.
The DRC officially bans uranium production and exports.
What the investigation found
The reporting drew on a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature Communications, produced in collaboration with Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Researchers used geological assessments, mine-level trade records, and a leaked 2009 memo from the International Atomic Energy Agency to piece together the scale of undeclared uranium leaving the Katanga mining region.
The geology is the root cause. Uranium and cobalt ores naturally co-occur in the Katanga copper belt, meaning that when miners extract cobalt hydroxide, uranium hitches a ride. DRC regulations set limits on radioactive contamination in cobalt products, but the investigation suggests those limits were routinely exceeded or simply ignored.
Approximately 65% of the uranium exports were directed toward Chinese-owned entities, according to the research. The DRC is the world’s largest cobalt producer, and roughly 95% of its cobalt ores are shipped to China for refining.
A 2009 IAEA memo, obtained as part of the investigation, flagged “significant quantities” of uranium being exported as a by-product of cobalt mining.
Health risks and proliferation concerns
Workers in the Katanga region’s cobalt mines, many of whom operate in artisanal and small-scale operations with minimal protective equipment, have been handling radioactive material without knowing it. Prolonged exposure to natural uranium dust and ore can cause kidney damage, lung disease, and increased cancer risk.
On the proliferation side, the research estimates the volume of undeclared uranium could suffice for the production of approximately 600 to 1,500 nuclear weapons. The fact that this material moved across international borders for two decades without drawing formal intervention raises pointed questions about the adequacy of supply chain monitoring.
Supply chain fallout for cobalt markets
Cobalt is a critical input for lithium-ion batteries. With roughly two-thirds of the undeclared uranium reportedly flowing toward Chinese-owned operations, Beijing’s cobalt processing industry could face heightened scrutiny from international regulators and trading partners.