(Ecofin Agency) - A few months ago, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) partnered with former US Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince to secure mining revenues. Concluded before the ongoing conflict with the Rwandan-backed M3 rebels broke out in January, the partnership was reported by Reuters.

According to the international media, which quoted an unnamed source, the move aims to ensure that "extractive and other industries operate transparently, and that their production and revenues are properly distributed under the Congolese Mining Code."

Erik Prince and his team have been contracted to help the DRC earn more mining revenues by combating smuggling and corruption. However, no details have been provided on how the agreement will be implemented. All that is known is that the teams were to start in the south of the country, notably in Katanga, where the DRC is said to be losing up to $40 million in monthly revenues at the border between Kolwezi and Zambia alone, according to a source quoted by Reuters.

This year, the DRC is projecting mining revenues of over $5 billion, up 11% on the 2024 forecast. But according to the authorities, these revenues could be much higher if the country succeeds in reducing smuggling and corruption in this key sector.

Against this backdrop, the government is stepping up initiatives to secure mining resources. Since October 2024, President Félix Tshisekedi has ordered tighter border controls in mining areas.

Born on June 6, 1969, Erik Prince is an American businessman and a former Navy SEAL officer. In 1997, he founded the private military company Blackwater Worldwide (now Academi), which he sold in 2010 after several of its employees were indicted for killing civilians in Iraq. The latter were convicted, then pardoned by Donald Trump during his first term in office.

Erik Prince could benefit from the mining agreement on the table between Washington and Kinshasa–through one of his companies, Frontier Services Group (FSG). In December 2020, the newspaper Africa Intelligence revealed that FSG had signed an agreement with Sicomines. A few months earlier, the same media had reported the existence of a contract with China Nonferrous Metal Mining Corp (CNMC).

This article was initially published in French by Ronsard Luabeya (intern)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho