The health crisis complicates efforts to challenge China’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains
The worsening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has disrupted travel and delayed negotiations linked to a US-backed critical minerals partnership, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing four people familiar with the matter.
The partnership is part of Washington’s broader efforts to diversify critical mineral supplies and reduce reliance on China.
The outbreak has delayed travel and negotiations linked to a US-backed minerals partnership. Although existing mining operations have not been directly affected, visits by suppliers, consultants, and investors have been postponed, creating logistical difficulties and slowing discussions on expanding cooperation, according to the report.
A meeting in Washington scheduled for June to assess the interest of US companies in Congolese mining projects was postponed, while a planned review in July was canceled because key participants could not travel from the US. Some discussions have since moved to Paris and Brussels, while negotiations have continued in London.
DR Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt and the second-largest supplier of copper. It also holds significant reserves of lithium, tantalum, and germanium, minerals essential for electric vehicles, electronics, energy infrastructure, and defense industries.
Washington launched negotiations with Kinshasa last year as part of a broader effort to diversify US critical mineral supply chains. In exchange for greater American investment and security support, the US has sought expanded access to Congolese mineral resources.
The talks came as fighting between the M23 armed group and government forces intensified in the country’s mineral-rich east. Following talks with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in April 2025, US Africa adviser Massad Boulos said the partnership could attract multi-billion-dollar investments.
The two countries signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement in December 2025 alongside the US-brokered Washington Accords between DR Congo and Rwanda. The deal commits the sides to expanding American access to Congolese minerals and developing transport infrastructure, including the Lobito Corridor linking mining regions to Angola’s Atlantic coast.
The initiative forms part of Washington’s broader strategy to challenge China’s dominance in critical mineral supply chains. Chinese companies have spent years investing billions of dollars in Congolese mining and are major players in the country’s cobalt and copper sectors.
The World Health Organization said on Thursday that DR Congo has recorded 2,073 cases and 796 deaths since an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus was declared on May 15.
The US State Department told Reuters that Washington is committed to containing the outbreak while advancing the minerals partnership.
On Thursday, the US Embassy in Kinshasa announced new health measures barring US nationals leaving DR Congo from flying directly to the US until they have spent 21 days in another country, underscoring the growing impact of the outbreak on travel and engagement with the central African nation.
