Spotlight | DRC
Pressured by Washington, Kinshasa sits on the fence over Chemaf sale

Félix Tshisekedi shakes hands with Donald Trump under the watchful eye of Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives, at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on 5 February 2026.
Félix Tshisekedi shakes hands with Donald Trump under the watchful eye of Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives, at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on 5 February 2026. © Al Drago / Reuters
Backed by senior officials at the National Security Council and the State Department, US operator Virtus Minerals must still secure the approval of Félix Tshisekedi's government to proceed to the acquisition of Chemaf's copper and cobalt mines. In Kinshasa, American pressure has provoked mistrust and unease at the highest levels of the state. [...]
Updated on 25/02/2026 at 10:17 GMT Reading time 5 minutes Olivier Liffran

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