DRC Mining Deal Faces Scrutiny as NGOs Flag corruption Risks

A coalition of civil society organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is urging heightened caution over a mining transaction involving Glencore and the Orion group, warning that the deal could carry “serious risks of corruption” and calling on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to apply stricter safeguards before backing any joint project.

The coalition’s warning comes as the DRC’s copper and cobalt assets draw increasing international attention amid global competition for critical minerals. Recent reporting has linked Glencore and the U.S.-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium (Orion CMC) to a prospective transaction involving Congolese mining assets an evolution that civil society groups argue must be matched by robust transparency and anti-corruption controls.

In its statement, the coalition highlights past legal and compliance findings involving Glencore, which owns the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) and Mutanda Mining operations in the DRC. It points to the outcome of a Swiss investigation that resulted in penalties exceeding $150 million, tied to failures to prevent corruption linked to Glencore’s business partner Dan Gertler during the 2011 acquisition of stakes in Mutanda and Kansuki, according to the coalition’s document.

The coalition also references actions taken after U.S. sanctions were imposed on Dan Gertler, stating that Glencore attempted to suspend royalty payments linked to KCC and Mutanda to avoid violating sanctions, later resuming payments in euros, according to the same document.

The NGOs further cite Glencore’s 2022 coordinated resolutions with authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil, in which the group agreed to pay more than $1 billion to resolve corruption-related cases spanning multiple countries, including the DRC. Public statements from U.S. authorities at the time described a coordinated global resolution and penalties exceeding $1.1 billion based U.S. DOJ release.

On Orion, the coalition points to allegations and investigations in Guinea involving mining companies Alufer Mining and Bel Air Mining both described as controlled by Orion citing a 2025 investigation by the Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa (PPLAAF), which is part of the coalition. The document claims these entities faced accusations including fraud, mismanagement and corruption in 2023 and 2024, with some cases reportedly resulting in fines by the Guinean state and other matters still under investigation .

What the coalition is asking the DFC to do

The coalition argues that the profile of the companies involved elevates corruption exposure and calls for enhanced safeguards before any financing or support is considered. Among its key recommendations:

• requiring, as a precondition, the divestiture by Dan Gertler of Congolese assets the coalition links to royalty rights in KCC and Mutanda;

  
  

• conducting enhanced due diligence prior to any commitment, according to the coalition’s document.

No decision by the DFC was cited in the document referenced by the coalition.