Australia-based AVZ Minerals, which holds a majority stake in the contested Manono lithium project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said on Monday a new deal between Kinshasa and US-backed KoBold Metals to develop part of the project breaches an existing international arbitration order.

The DRC government said on July 18 it had signed an agreement with KoBold to jointly develop the southern section of the Manono lithium and tin deposit, one of the world’s largest untapped sources of the battery metal.

The agreement commits the Congolese government to support KoBold’s plan to acquire and develop the Roche Dure deposit at Manono, effectively positioning the California-based firm as Kinshasa's preferred partner to unlock the stalled project.

AVZ, whose stake in the Manono project is held through its subsidiary Dathcom Mining, is currently locked in arbitration with DR Congo at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes over the government’s failure to grant a mining permit.

'Breach of tribunal's orders'

The company said DR Congo's deal with KoBold Metals violates interim orders issued by the ICSID tribunal in January 2024, which required DR Congo to recognise Dathcom as the holder of the disputed mining licence and to protect AVZ’s rights during the proceedings.

Congolese authorities and KoBold Metals did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"On July 18, 2025, (AVZ) informed the ICSID Tribunal of the KoBold agreement which is a breach (of its orders)," the company said.

Though not a party to the KoBold agreement, AVZ said it remains open to "constructive dialogue" with all stakeholders, including KoBold, to reach a commercial resolution that respects its legal and contractual rights.