AfricaMuseum refuses to yield Congo geological archives despite US pressure

4 hours ago

AfricaMuseum in Tervuren refuses to hand over geological archives on Congo to US mining company Kobold Metals.
The museum aims to digitize the archives itself, supported by the EU and in collaboration with Congo's Geological services.
Kobold Metals, backed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, seeks to use AI to analyze the data for mining locations rich in cobalt, copper, and coltan.
The archives contain documents from defunct Belgian mining companies, covering Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and other African countries.
The Trump administration is pressuring the museum diplomatically to transfer the archives, but Belgium supports the museum's stance against private company access.

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