Norin Mining Dossier | Off Leash Intel

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Gecamines and Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba argued that the proposed sale of Chemaf’s copper-cobalt assets to China’s Norin Mining breached existing agreements. The council of ministers recommended blocking the transaction.

Unverified development · updated through 2024-08-28

Latest directly linked development

August 28, 2024Democratic Republic of the CongoUnverified

DRC officials recommend blocking Chemaf mine sale

Open source report

Geography

2 linked map positions

Marker precision is disclosed on selection. Country and regional centroids show geographic scope, not an exact incident site.

Norin Mining dossier

Norin Mining linked geography

2 mapped developments across 1 map positions. Centroid markers show geographic scope, not an exact incident site.

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Chinese company agrees to acquire Congolese cobalt miner Chemaf

China’s Norin Mining agreed to acquire Chemaf for an undisclosed amount and plans to invest in the Etoile Phase 2 and Mutoshi projects. The deal would deepen Chinese control over the cobalt supply chain, citing a claimed 70% share of global processing capacity.

Approximate map position: country centroid. The extracted place did not have provider-resolved coordinates.

1 supporting public source attached

Chronology

Mention timeline

August 28, 2024
Off Leash Update: Election Tensions, Conflict Developments and Strategic Competition
Off Leash update 28 Aug Venezuela •Venezuela's opposition called for a fourth round of mass demonstrations at 11 am Caracas time today to demand recognition of its victory in the election that happened exactly one month ago. •Pres. Maduro refuses to give up his claim that he won the vote - and also refuses to provide proof. Meanwhile, the opposition has offered online tallies confirming its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won more than twice as many votes as Maduro (a figure aligned with exit polls). •Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado attended the first three major rallies of the past month, and will likely participate today too - despite the threat of being arrested and locked up alongside thousands of Venezuelans that Maduro's goons have detained for infractions as minor as questioning election results on social media. •Separately, Maduro introduced "profound" changes to his cabinet last night. He shuffled about half of his ministers, but in a way that won't meaningfully affect policy: he rewarded diehard loyalists like VP Delcy Rodriguez and PSUV party leader Diosdado Cabello with expanded roles, and rotated some other allies between key positions. Iran •Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, revived long-shot hopes for new nuclear talks with the U.S. by telling his civilian government - now led by reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian - that there's "no harm" in engaging the "enemy." •Analysts interpreted Khamenei's cautious remarks as hesitant approval for Pezeshkian to proceed with early talks - but under strict red lines drawn out of distrust for "the Great Satan" (as Khamenei and his predecessor dub the U.S. - the UK and Israel are both "Little Satans"). Israel and Gaza •Israeli security forces conducted a significant drone and ground "counter-terrorism operation" in the West Bank, killing at least nine. It was one of the biggest West Bank operations in recent years. •There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of Israel's hostage rescue this week. A military spokesman said "precise intelligence" led commandos to Farhan al Qadi's location in a deep underground tunnel, but anonymous Israeli officials told the media that soldiers unexpectedly stumbled upon al Qadi - weak and unguarded - in the midst of a separate tunnel operation. Ukraine •Pres. Zelensky said he was open to discussing an armistice - first with Pres. Biden and VP Harris, and then with Russia. •Zelensky indicated that Ukraine's recent incursion into Kursk was part of a possible peace plan he's angling for: Ukrainian forces captured both troops and territory that can be traded back to Russia - for a price. Yemen •The Sounion tanker Yemen's Houthis set ablaze last week may be leaking some of the 1 million barrels of oil it was carrying. The Houthis have continued to intimidate and target salvage operations, prohibiting rescuers from examining the situation. China •Earlier today, leaders of Pacific Island nations approved an Australia-backed plan to establish four regional police training centers and a multinational force to respond to regional crises. •China opposed the plan and advocated against it: Beijing wants island nations to rely on it - and not Australia or its Western allies - for security. DRC •In July, Gecamines - a DRC mining parastatal - objected to the proposed sale of Chemaf's copper-cobalt mines to China's Norin Mining on the grounds that the transaction would be a "flagrant violation of the clauses of the farm-out contract between Gecamines and Chemaf" - i.e., it would recalibrate the royalties Gecamines gets from the Etoile and Mutoshi projects for doing nothing. •DRC's ministers are now standing behind Gecamines: Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba also said the deal breached Chemaf's agreements with Gecamines, and on Friday the full council of ministers recommended blocking the sale.
Proposed Chinese buyer of Chemaf mining assets1 direct event link
Open source report
June 28, 2024
Off Leash geopolitical update — June 28, 2024
Off Leash update 28 June Iran •Polls opened in Iran's election to choose a successor to Pres. Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month. •Many young Iranians are unenthused about the candidates the conservative clerics approved for them to choose from and plan to sit out the vote. •With support split between three candidates - two conservatives and the sole moderate running - the poll will likely go to a runoff on July 5. Ukraine •NATO and Western officials estimated that Russia suffered an average of 1,000 casualties (killed or wounded) per day in May, after sending wave after wave of infantry troops towards well-defended Ukrainian front lines in the north and east. •The NYT noted that Russia is also recruiting 25,000 to 30,000 new soldiers per month, though - so its net force strength in Ukraine remains roughly flat. •I'm amazed Russia is still able to recruit so much fresh meat to send into these meat grinder battles. It's drawing heavily on Russian mercenaries previously working in Africa, and also offering handsome (but apparently also sustainable) financial incentives for new joiners. North Korea •State media claimed that North Korea successfully tested a missile payload capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads to separate targets. •The new system - called "multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle" or MIRV, for short - is a significant advance that raises the threat level for North Korea's adversaries: it's much harder to intercept multiple projectiles (including decoys) than it is to target just one midair. China •China expelled two former Defense Ministers - Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe - from the Communist Party for alleged corruption. •Li was removed from his post last October with no public explanation as to why; this is the first official confirmation that his removal - and subsequent disappearance - was related to graft allegations. •State media are now reporting that he "seriously violated" party principles by seeking "personal benefits" from his position and both receiving and paying "huge sums of money" in bribes. Israel and Gaza •The U.S. is preparing to release the big bombs that it temporarily withheld from Israel over concerns they would be used in crowded parts of Rafah. •Despite PM Netanyahu's complaints that the U.S. was withholding arms on a broader scale, these were the only arms withheld - and they'll now be released. [Some other shipments have been delayed due to bureaucratic issues, but Pentagon officials insist those delays weren't intentional or political.] DRC •China's Norin Mining agreed to buy struggling Congolese cobalt miner Chemaf for an undisclosed amount. •Norin plans to invest in developing Chemaf's Etoile Phase 2 and Mutoshi mines, which Chemaf couldn't afford to continue building out because of big debts to its trading partner, Trafigura. •China already controls about 70% of global cobalt processing capacity, so the vertical integration of mining companies will help expand its control of the supply chain. Yemen •Yemen's Houthi rebels improbably claimed to have independently developed a hypersonic missile, the Hadim 2, that they used to target a cargo ship in the Arabian Sea earlier this week. •There were indeed reports of an attempted missile attack that missed its target this week, but no indications that the missile was the solid-fuel hypersonic technology the Houthis claimed it to be. Hypersonic missiles are hard to develop without significant support from a technology partner (say, Iran, for example).
buyer of Chemaf1 direct event link
Open source report

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Latest linked intelligence

Unverified development · updated through 2024-08-28

Latest directly linked development

August 28, 2024Democratic Republic of the CongoUnverified

DRC officials recommend blocking Chemaf mine sale

Open source report

Geography

2 linked map positions

Marker precision is disclosed on selection. Country and regional centroids show geographic scope, not an exact incident site.

Norin Mining dossier

Norin Mining linked geography

2 mapped developments across 1 map positions. Centroid markers show geographic scope, not an exact incident site.

Source archive

Chinese company agrees to acquire Congolese cobalt miner Chemaf

Approximate map position: country centroid. The extracted place did not have provider-resolved coordinates.

1 supporting public source attached

Chronology

Mention timeline

August 28, 2024
Off Leash Update: Election Tensions, Conflict Developments and Strategic Competition
Off Leash update 28 Aug Venezuela •Venezuela's opposition called for a fourth round of mass demonstrations at 11 am Caracas time today to demand recognition of its victory in the election that happened exactly one month ago. •Pres. Maduro refuses to give up his claim that he won the vote - and also refuses to provide proof. Meanwhile, the opposition has offered online tallies confirming its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, won more than twice as many votes as Maduro (a figure aligned with exit polls). •Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado attended the first three major rallies of the past month, and will likely participate today too - despite the threat of being arrested and locked up alongside thousands of Venezuelans that Maduro's goons have detained for infractions as minor as questioning election results on social media. •Separately, Maduro introduced "profound" changes to his cabinet last night. He shuffled about half of his ministers, but in a way that won't meaningfully affect policy: he rewarded diehard loyalists like VP Delcy Rodriguez and PSUV party leader Diosdado Cabello with expanded roles, and rotated some other allies between key positions. Iran •Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, revived long-shot hopes for new nuclear talks with the U.S. by telling his civilian government - now led by reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian - that there's "no harm" in engaging the "enemy." •Analysts interpreted Khamenei's cautious remarks as hesitant approval for Pezeshkian to proceed with early talks - but under strict red lines drawn out of distrust for "the Great Satan" (as Khamenei and his predecessor dub the U.S. - the UK and Israel are both "Little Satans"). Israel and Gaza •Israeli security forces conducted a significant drone and ground "counter-terrorism operation" in the West Bank, killing at least nine. It was one of the biggest West Bank operations in recent years. •There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of Israel's hostage rescue this week. A military spokesman said "precise intelligence" led commandos to Farhan al Qadi's location in a deep underground tunnel, but anonymous Israeli officials told the media that soldiers unexpectedly stumbled upon al Qadi - weak and unguarded - in the midst of a separate tunnel operation. Ukraine •Pres. Zelensky said he was open to discussing an armistice - first with Pres. Biden and VP Harris, and then with Russia. •Zelensky indicated that Ukraine's recent incursion into Kursk was part of a possible peace plan he's angling for: Ukrainian forces captured both troops and territory that can be traded back to Russia - for a price. Yemen •The Sounion tanker Yemen's Houthis set ablaze last week may be leaking some of the 1 million barrels of oil it was carrying. The Houthis have continued to intimidate and target salvage operations, prohibiting rescuers from examining the situation. China •Earlier today, leaders of Pacific Island nations approved an Australia-backed plan to establish four regional police training centers and a multinational force to respond to regional crises. •China opposed the plan and advocated against it: Beijing wants island nations to rely on it - and not Australia or its Western allies - for security. DRC •In July, Gecamines - a DRC mining parastatal - objected to the proposed sale of Chemaf's copper-cobalt mines to China's Norin Mining on the grounds that the transaction would be a "flagrant violation of the clauses of the farm-out contract between Gecamines and Chemaf" - i.e., it would recalibrate the royalties Gecamines gets from the Etoile and Mutoshi projects for doing nothing. •DRC's ministers are now standing behind Gecamines: Mines Minister Kizito Pakabomba also said the deal breached Chemaf's agreements with Gecamines, and on Friday the full council of ministers recommended blocking the sale.
Proposed Chinese buyer of Chemaf mining assets1 direct event link
Open source report
June 28, 2024
Off Leash geopolitical update — June 28, 2024
Off Leash update 28 June Iran •Polls opened in Iran's election to choose a successor to Pres. Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month. •Many young Iranians are unenthused about the candidates the conservative clerics approved for them to choose from and plan to sit out the vote. •With support split between three candidates - two conservatives and the sole moderate running - the poll will likely go to a runoff on July 5. Ukraine •NATO and Western officials estimated that Russia suffered an average of 1,000 casualties (killed or wounded) per day in May, after sending wave after wave of infantry troops towards well-defended Ukrainian front lines in the north and east. •The NYT noted that Russia is also recruiting 25,000 to 30,000 new soldiers per month, though - so its net force strength in Ukraine remains roughly flat. •I'm amazed Russia is still able to recruit so much fresh meat to send into these meat grinder battles. It's drawing heavily on Russian mercenaries previously working in Africa, and also offering handsome (but apparently also sustainable) financial incentives for new joiners. North Korea •State media claimed that North Korea successfully tested a missile payload capable of delivering multiple nuclear warheads to separate targets. •The new system - called "multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle" or MIRV, for short - is a significant advance that raises the threat level for North Korea's adversaries: it's much harder to intercept multiple projectiles (including decoys) than it is to target just one midair. China •China expelled two former Defense Ministers - Li Shangfu and Wei Fenghe - from the Communist Party for alleged corruption. •Li was removed from his post last October with no public explanation as to why; this is the first official confirmation that his removal - and subsequent disappearance - was related to graft allegations. •State media are now reporting that he "seriously violated" party principles by seeking "personal benefits" from his position and both receiving and paying "huge sums of money" in bribes. Israel and Gaza •The U.S. is preparing to release the big bombs that it temporarily withheld from Israel over concerns they would be used in crowded parts of Rafah. •Despite PM Netanyahu's complaints that the U.S. was withholding arms on a broader scale, these were the only arms withheld - and they'll now be released. [Some other shipments have been delayed due to bureaucratic issues, but Pentagon officials insist those delays weren't intentional or political.] DRC •China's Norin Mining agreed to buy struggling Congolese cobalt miner Chemaf for an undisclosed amount. •Norin plans to invest in developing Chemaf's Etoile Phase 2 and Mutoshi mines, which Chemaf couldn't afford to continue building out because of big debts to its trading partner, Trafigura. •China already controls about 70% of global cobalt processing capacity, so the vertical integration of mining companies will help expand its control of the supply chain. Yemen •Yemen's Houthi rebels improbably claimed to have independently developed a hypersonic missile, the Hadim 2, that they used to target a cargo ship in the Arabian Sea earlier this week. •There were indeed reports of an attempted missile attack that missed its target this week, but no indications that the missile was the solid-fuel hypersonic technology the Houthis claimed it to be. Hypersonic missiles are hard to develop without significant support from a technology partner (say, Iran, for example).
buyer of Chemaf1 direct event link
Open source report

DRC officials recommend blocking Chemaf mine sale

2 linked map positions

Norin Mining linked geography

Chinese company agrees to acquire Congolese cobalt miner Chemaf

Mention timeline

Off Leash Update: Election Tensions, Conflict Developments and Strategic Competition

Off Leash geopolitical update — June 28, 2024

DRC officials recommend blocking Chemaf mine sale

2 linked map positions

Norin Mining linked geography

Chinese company agrees to acquire Congolese cobalt miner Chemaf

Mention timeline

Off Leash Update: Election Tensions, Conflict Developments and Strategic Competition

Off Leash geopolitical update — June 28, 2024