UAE, US reportedly back USD 100 mn paramilitary force to secure critical mines in Congo

The UAE and the US are reportedly backing a USD 100 mn effort by Congo’s General Inspectorate of Mines to create a paramilitary unit to oversee and protect its mines, Bloomberg reports, citing an emailed statement. The paramilitary force would secure production, oversee traceable transport of minerals, and replace “defense forces currently deployed in mining zones.”

The likely backdrop: AI. While it’s unclear whether the funding is public or private, the move fits squarely within Pax Silica, the US-led initiative to counter China’s dominance over critical minerals supply chains tied to AI. The UAE joined the initiative in January alongside other countries, including Japan, India, the UK, South Korea, and Qatar. The bloc has since rolled out a framework to mobilize public and private capital into critical minerals, as well as an investment consortium that includes Mubadala focused on supply chain resilience across the energy and critical minerals sectors.

In parallel, a player in the UAE seems to be making a move: Paradigm Holdings, a UAE-based outfit that describes itself as an “investment group” with interests spanning mining, real estate, hospitality, and other sectors, says it has signed a gold supply agreement with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The aim is to build a “scalable, long-term supply network that connects directly back into the UAE’s role as a global trading center,” Paradigm founder Steven Hawkins is quoted as saying.