Investigation Raises Alarm Over Uranium in DRC Cobalt Shipments to China

Investigators say uranium could have been exported alongside cobalt shipments from the Democratic Republic of Congo to China, raising nuclear-accounting and safety alarms. The reporting cites analysis of cobalt supply chains and a previously unreported internal IAEA memo indicating uranium was present in significant quantities in many cobalt ores from Katanga. Estimates from related scientific work suggest thousands of tonnes of uranium may have been embedded in cobalt-hydroxide shipments since 2000. The DRC says it will investigate and run lab tests, while companies deny wrongdoing.