Devils Below

🌐Weekly News Digest [ February 9 – February 15 ] Last week, the mining conference in Cape Town became the first high-level venue to criticize American expansion into Africa - but what else happened? 💡Here are the key highlights: 🇨🇩 DR Congo — South Africa’s Minister of Resources sharply criticizes his Congolese counterpart — Washington urged an Australian mining firm AVZ to sell its major lithium project to a US company 🇱🇾 Libya — Libya’s fails its first oil license auction in 17 years 🇲🇱 Mali — The Malian government establishes a new state-owned mining company — Mali approves a 10-year extension of Canadian gold miner's license 🇳🇪 Niger — Niger’s military repels an attack by MPLJ militants on Chinese oil facilities — Niger is ready to return the uranium confiscated from the French 🇳🇬 Nigeria — Nigerian company loses asset in Equatorial Guinea — Dangote Refinery reaches its design capacity for the first time — US lawmakers introduce a bill claiming that Chinese illegal miners are paying Fulani militant groups 🇿🇦 South Africa — Mining Indaba Conference concludes in Cape Town 🌍 Global — State Department reveals the US strategy for Africa #NewsDigest ➡️ Follow to stay informed - @devilsbelow

🔵Another Happy Ending🔵 Mali and Canadian miner's relationship keeps re-entering golden age 🌐 Concluding a two-year row with the Canadian company Barrick, the government of Mali has approved a 10-year extension of its the gold mining license at the country's largest gold deposit, Loulo-Gounkoto, near the Senegalese border. 🔸 Since 2023, Barrick had been in conflict with Mali’s government over the country’s new mining regulations. They generally require that the state’s share of mining profits be increased. The conflict escalated several times: Mali detained high-ranking executives of the Canadian company and temporarily took control of the Loulo-Gounkoto mine itself. Last November, the parties resolved the dispute, which involved dropping all charges against the company, its subsidiaries, and employees, as well as returning the mine to the company’s control. 🏷 This once again reflects Mali’s unique strategy: unlike its Sahelian neighbors in Burkina Faso, Bamako avoids nationalization of gold assets or transferring them to new partners, instead aiming to impose its terms on the present Western companies. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

Gift for Marcon: What is Tiani Proposing Sending Back to France? Niger’s leader has decided to take France on an emotional rollercoaster. ☢️ After accusing Paris of backing attacks on Niamey’s airport and threatening war, Abdourahamane Tiani now claims in an interview that Niger is ready to return the uranium confiscated from the Frenchfirm Orano— promising to send even more than it had ever extracted. ⏩ On Friday, February 13, Nigerien president Tiani essentially offered to return France’s share of uranium — 63.4% (Orano’s stake in the SOMAIR mine, the heart of the row) — amounting to 95,000 tons out of the 156,231 tons allegedly mined in Niger. ⏩ The number seems plucked out of thin air. Previous disputes between Niger and France’s Orano only mentioned 1,000–1,500 tons of uranium stocks under Niger's control. Even if Orano had never exported its uranium and left it all in Niger, 156,000 tons would still be impossible — at SOMAIR it had produced just 82,000 tons since 1971. ❗️ Most likely, Tchiani meant the sum of total outputs of SOMAIR and another mine, COMINAK (which the French also operated until the early 2020s) — though most of their production was shipped abroad long ago. While this could be seen as a signal for negotiation and an end to the uranium saga, offering the Élysée Palace 156,000 tons of uranium that doesn’t even exist in Niger sounds less like a serious proposal and more like a mockery — one that is unlikely to have any real consequences. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

Good morning! 🔴 The footage allegedly shows miners taking away ore from one of the industrial mines in the Congo. 💡 Anytime you've ideas to suggest, interesting topics to share, or feel that some facts are unfairly overlooked — don’t hesitate to drop a comment here or DM the channel. Stay informed - @devilsbelow

US Congress Targets Nigeria: China and Resources Cometo the Fore 📄US lawmakers have introduced the "Nigerian Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026," claiming that Chinese mining companies engaged in illegal extraction are paying Fulani militant groups for protection. Framed as "hostile foreign exploitation" and a "source of extremist financing," the bill urges the State Department to combat this practice in cooperation with Nigeria. The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria has already dismissed all allegations, stating that Chinese mining firms are victims of terrorism, rather than sponsors. ▶️ Washington’s sudden concern over Nigeria’s interfaith conflicts and terrorism has long seemed like a prospective pretext for pushing an anti-China agenda. Still, this appears to be more about congressional populism than anything else. Nigeria is far too dependent on China — especially for infrastructure development — to take such demands seriously. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

🔵"We’d Like For That To Not End Up In Chinese Hands"🔵 Another Ally Falls Victim to US Expansion 🌐 Bloomberg reports that in late January, the Trump administrationurged an Australian mining firm AVZ to sell its major lithium project to a US firm. Earlier, as part of efforts to secure supply chains from China, the US had struck a deal to buy a stake in Swiss company Glencore’s copper-cobalt assets. 🔸 The real game of interests here is far more intriguing than it first appears. The project in question is the Manono deposit, which Congolese authorities stripped from AVZ in 2023 and handed over to China’s Zijin. 🔸This means the best the Americans can hope for is a claim on the remaining uncontested portion—or they’ll have to directly clash with the Chinese for the first time. If the administration settles for the first option, it’ll be another ironic twist — the US once again squeezing out its own ally from supply chains while avoiding a direct showdown with China. If they choose the second, Congo itself could face backlash from Beijing. Zijin, meanwhile, already owns two major mines in the south and plans to start production at Manono this June. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

🚨Mad Max in Niger: Is the Army Finally Getting Its Act Together? 🌐Niger’s military press service announced that on February 10 it repelled anattack by MPLJ militants on Chinese oil facilities near Agadem. Reports say the militants crossed into Niger in ten vehicles from Chad. Unlike similar incidents in 2025, this time Niger’s army claims to have successfully fended off the attack, forcing the militants to retreat. Official government statements, however, make no mention of casualties on either side. 💥 In its response, MPLJ claims to have lost 1 fighter and 1 vehicle, while allegedly inflicting around 24 deaths on the army. The militants then reportedly drove the same vehicles back into Chad. Even taking MPLJ’s unverified claims at face value, Niger’s army is still making significant progress in protecting the country’s main revenue source—a critical achievement now that the stakes involve not just China’s CNPC, but also new partners eyeing Niger’s oil. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

Why Elite Gathering in South Africa Matters to Everyone Top 5 Really Entertaining Moments from Mining Indaba 2026 When the ultra-rich and politicians gather in one place, either nothing interesting happens, or something wildly entertaining unfolds — about which we only find out later through leaks and investigations. But if you dig a little deeper, such a routine gathering of investors and politicians like Mining Indaba 2026 in Cape Town, can offer something scandalous, amusing, or downright bizarre. ❗️ Here’s top 5 list of the most entertaining events around the forum, which took place from February 7 to 12: 🏭Zimbabwe Named Africa’s Champion of Local Processing In a report by the African Finance Corporation, Zimbabwe was hailed as Africa’s leader in turning mineral wealth into industrial capacity—mostly thanks to restrictions on raw ore exports and cheap electricity. 🇺🇸The Largest U.S. Delegation Ever Despite recent diplomatic tensions with South Africa, the U.S. sent its biggest delegation ever to the Cape Town resource conference. ✊Protests Right Outside the Conference Doors Members of Extinction Rebellion staged protests against what they call toxic coal production, showcasing a grotesque effigy of South Africa’s Mineral Resources Minister right at the venue. 📣DRC Minister Grilled Over U.S. Deal The DRC’s Mines Minister, Louis Watum Kabamba, faced criticism from his South African counterpart and was later forced to defend himself to journalistsover the controversial U.S. resource access deal. 🚰Conference Held Amid South Africa’s Water Crisis The event took place against the backdrop of a severe water shortage in parts of South Africa. Local officials even asked mining companies for help in mitigating the crisis, claiming their operations consume too much water. Although such gatherings offer no real value for most people, they are still quite good performances from a theatrical point of view. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

Nigeria: Dangote Refinery Hits Full Capacity Do We to Celebrate? 🌐 Africa’s largest and the world’s most powerful single-train refinery, the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, has finally reached its design capacity for the first time. All key units are now operating at the full 650,000 barrels per day. ⏩ This milestone is less about technical efficiency and more about symbolism. First, it retroactively justifies all the controversies and scandals surrounding Aliko Dangote: his clashes with local oil and fuel regulators, labor unions, and rival businessmen. ⏩ Second, it’s a critical signal for future expansion. Dangote aims to scale the refinery up to 1.4 million barrels per day, and this achievement reminds current and potential partners that he knows what he’s doing. ⏩ Finally, for Dangote himself, this is another symbolic cementing of his legacy. The 68-year-old billionaire repeatedly states that this refinery is his entrepreneurial magnum opus — the crowning achievement of Africa’s richest man. Unfortunately, for ordinary Nigerians, this news isn’t as unequivocally positive as it is for Dangote. Now that the oil magnate has crushed fuel imports and monopolized the market, Nigeria is unlikely to see new refineries emerge anytime soon—it’s simply too hard to compete with such a giant. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

Libya’s First Oil License Auction in 17 Years Is Total Failure 🌐 Perfectly illustrating what happens to nations "saved" from dictatorship by European armed forces, Libya’s Government of National Unity has botched its new oil license auction. Out of 20 oil blocks up for grabs, only 5 found eager investors. Libya's last honest and transparent license auction took place under Muammar Gaddafi. But its oil industry has since faced significant challenges after a NATO-backed revolt toppled and killed the longtime leader in 2011, leaving the country divided between rival authorities. 🔍 Speaking about the reasons only a quarter of the offered assets found buyers, analysts point to backroom deals as the main obstacle. Amid total political chaos, major companies tend to ask whatever they want directly from the authorities — without bothering with public tenders. Just last month, the government used this exact playbook to strike $20 billion deals with TotalEnergies and ConocoPhillips. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

Why Is South Africa’s Minister Unhappy — and Why Does It Matter? 🔥 At a closed-door meeting during Indaba Mining Week, South Africa’s Minister of Resources, Gwede Mantashe, sharply criticized his counterpart from the DRC — echoing the same frustrations we’ve expressed in our channel about Congo’s deal with Washington. But there's more to it than just one minister’s criticism. It signals aparadigm shift of South Africa-DRC relations. Just 5 days ago, South Africa suddenly withdrew its troops from the UN MONUSCO mission in the DRC. The minister’s words clarify why: Pretoria believes Kinshasa is ignoring pan-African solidarity and undermining South Africa's interests with its actions. 🔸 Mantashe suggested that the DRC had been exempted from the Trump administration’s high import tariffs because of the critical minerals deal, accusing this of enabling a US "divide and conquer" strategy in Africa. Last year, the US imposed a 10% tariff on DRC imports — far less than the punitive 30% slapped on South Africa. The South African minister has long been staunchly anti-American — but while his hostility toward the US stayed within his administrative domain, his grievances toward the DRC now seem to correspond to the new main narratives of South African policy toward Kinshasa. Amid this row, it is worth noting that the South African contingent in MONUSCO didn’t do much to help the DRC with its crises either, spending most of its time in the southern part of the country, far from the fighting. ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow

🔵Policy Induction: What Is the U.S. Strategy in Africa?🔵 Explaining What State Department Officials Couldn’t [ Policy Review ] Since the head of the Bureau of African Affairs left gaps in his explanation, I’ve gathered the facts from the past few months to reconstruct the U.S. strategy on African minerals myself. Note: since I’m not an expert on visas, humanitarian aid and military operations, I won’t touch on those. So, what do the facts say about the U.S. strategy for economic expansion? 1️⃣The U.S. has adopted China’s model of state-backed business expansion. For a long time, Americans shied away from ambitious projects due to risks—something Chinese miners never worried about, relying on government loans and diplomacy. Now, the U.S. is using the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Export-Import Bank to push its own projects. 2️⃣Washington isn’t leading—it’s picking from proposals by private partners and local elites. Almost all US-backed economic expansion currently revolves around the DRC, but this is largely thanks to Félix Tshisekedi, who invited the Americans himself. In other cases, the U.S. operates on a grant basis: a private firm comes forward, promises to build supply chains without China, and gets loan support. 🗺 This also explains why regional and country priorities still haven’t been set: specific opportunities come and go, and Washington doesn’t yet have its own clear preferences. 3️⃣The US is entering both ends of the supply chain: mining and mineral processing. The US has secured copper supply deals with the DRC and launched Project Vault to redirect ore exports from other countries to itself. This matters because, until now, any purchase of a mine was complicated by the fact that intermediate processing plants were only in China. Now, for the first time in decades, the US is opening new processing facilities at home. 4️⃣Finally, US economic interests don’t always align with military or political ones. For example, there’s no clear articulation of US intent to re-enter the oil sector or pursue minerals in Nigeria, even though that’s where American troops are most active. 💡 All of this suggests that, at this stage, the U.S. strategy is inductive — moving from specific cases to general policy, testing individual countries and projects, and later declaring the most successful ones as priorities. This is just the warm-up. It’s easy to imagine that in the coming years, the U.S. will grow bolder, moving beyond Congolese copper—perhaps toward Nigerian lithium or something more marginal on the periodic table in East Africa. #PolicyReview ➡️ Stay informed - @devilsbelow