AVZ Minerals Alleges DRC Breach of Arbitration in KoBold Lithium Agreement for Manono Project
Australia-based AVZ Minerals, which holds a majority stake in the contested Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has accused the DRC government of violating an international arbitration order by signing a new development deal with US-backed KoBold Metals.
On July 18, the DRC government announced an agreement with KoBold to jointly develop the southern section of the Manono lithium and tin deposit, one of the largest untapped sources of battery metals globally.
The deal commits Kinshasa to support KoBold’s acquisition and development of the Roche Dure deposit, effectively endorsing the California-based company as the government’s preferred partner to advance the long-stalled project.
However, AVZ Minerals, which holds its interest in the project through its subsidiary Dathcom Mining, says the new agreement violates interim measures issued by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in January 2024.
These measures require the DRC to recognize Dathcom as the rightful holder of the disputed mining license and to preserve AVZ’s legal rights while the arbitration is ongoing.
“On 18 July 2025, AVZ informed the ICSID tribunal of the KoBold agreement, which constitutes a breach of its orders,” the company stated in a press release.
AVZ is currently engaged in arbitration proceedings with the DRC over the government’s failure to grant a long-awaited mining permit, which has stalled development at the project site for several years.
While neither the DRC government nor KoBold Metals responded immediately to requests for comment, AVZ emphasized that it remains open to constructive dialogue with all parties, including KoBold, in the interest of reaching a commercial resolution that respects its legal and contractual rights.
