The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) state-owned Cominière has been ordered to pay Australian company AVZ Minerals €39.1m ($42.4m) plus interest for failing to comply with emergency orders related to Manono lithium project, one of the largest hard rock lithium deposits globally.
According to AVZ, an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal issued a partial award ruling following a dispute between AVZ International (AVZI) and Cominière over breaches of the Dathcom joint venture agreement (JVA) on the Manono lithium project.
AVZ Minerals initially held the permit to develop the Manono lithium project, with the DRC Ministry of Mines granting the mining license through a ministerial decree in May 2022.
However, in 2023, the ministry revoked AVZ’s permit, citing project development delays. The rights were subsequently awarded to a subsidiary of China’s Zijin Mining, prompting AVZ to seek relief through the ICC, according to Reuters.
The tribunal ruled that Cominière had violated previous injunctions by extending mining title PR 13359 under its own name, splitting it, and assigning PR 15775 to Manono Lithium, a joint venture with China’s Zijin Mining Group.
Cominière’s bid to overturn the emergency orders was rejected, with the tribunal reaffirming the injunctions issued in May and November 2023. It also reserved the right to impose further penalties if Cominière continues to breach these orders.
In a separate legal case (ICC 27769/SP), Cominière and Jin Cheng Mining Company, a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group, filed a complaint against AVZI, alleging breaches of the Dathcom JVA.
The ICC Tribunal issued a partial award, rejecting AVZI’s objection to Dathomir Mining Resources SARLU (Dathomir) joining the case. As a result, Dathomir is now officially part of the proceedings.
Addressing media speculation, AVZ confirmed that its representatives visited the U.S. to explore potential funding for the Manono lithium project. While the company met with interested parties, no formal investment proposals have been received, and discussions remain at a preliminary stage.
AVZ assured shareholders that it will provide updates as necessary.
