In a major advance for the U.S. push to secure critical minerals and compete with Chinese firms in Central Africa, U.S.-based Virtus Minerals has signed a megadeal for copper and cobalt deposits in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). After lengthy negotiations that reportedly included heavy behind-the-scenes pressure by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on DRC President Félix Tshisekedi’s government, Virtus has acquired Chemaf, a mining company that operates in southeastern DRC, along with all its assets.

The deal is the first concluded by a U.S. firm in the DRC since the two countries signed an agreement on critical minerals access in December 2025. Virtus has just eight employees and little track record in major mining ventures. However, the company now holds the rights to deposits that include the Mutoshi mine, which is capable of producing up to 5% of the world’s cobalt supply.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Virtus says it plans to sell the minerals it produces exclusively to American or “U.S.-aligned” buyers. But the region where Virtus will operate has long suffered pollution and environmental damage related to mining. Among the unanswered questions surrounding the takeover is how Virtus plans to address such concerns and whether the U.S. firm will hold itself to a higher standard than its Chinese counterparts.

After Chemaf acquired the mine in 2015, Amnesty International said the company warned nearby residents they would have to move. When they refused, Congolese soldiers allegedly destroyed an entire town. “The two primary mines are situated…This article was originally published on Mongabay