AUSTRALIA’S AVZ Minerals, which holds a majority stake in the disputed Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Tuesday said Kinshasa had violated an international arbitration order through a new partnership with KoBold Metals, according to a report by Reuters.
The DRC government announced on July 18 that it had signed an agreement with KoBold to jointly develop the southern section of the Manono lithium and tin deposit, one of the world’s largest untapped sources of the battery metal.
The deal positions California-based KoBold as the government’s preferred partner to unlock the stalled project, with Kinshasa committed to supporting KoBold’s acquisition and development of the Roche Dure deposit, said Reuters.
AVZ, whose stake is held through subsidiary Dathcom Mining, claims the arrangement breaches interim orders issued by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes tribunal in January 2024. Those orders required Congo to recognise Dathcom as holder of the disputed mining licence and protect AVZ’s rights during ongoing arbitration proceedings, it said.
The company is currently locked in arbitration with Congo over the government’s failure to grant a mining permit for the project.
“On 18 July 2025, (AVZ) informed the ICSID Tribunal of the KoBold agreement which is a breach (of its orders),” the company said in a statement.
Despite not being party to the KoBold agreement, AVZ said it remains open to “constructive dialogue” with all stakeholders, including KoBold, to reach a commercial resolution respecting its legal and contractual rights.
Neither Congolese authorities nor KoBold Metals immediately responded to requests for comment, Reuters said.
