Both things are true, they are in the same release, and only one of them made the headlines. The localisation is real. So is the relocation of oversight, and the timing tells you which one the release was written to show.
Three consecutive US assessments have asked the DRC to disclose how its sovereign wealth fund is financed. The disclosure exists. It cites a decree the government itself described as rewriting the Mining Code, and which is reported to be before the Conseil d'État.
The officials gave two reasons investors stay away. Both matter, and they are usually collapsed into one.
The Sanctions Architecture of the Washington Accords Faces Its First Courtroom Test with Joseph Kabila, sanctioned by the US Treasury on April 30, 2026 for material support to the M23 and AFC, taking his designation into a US federal courtroom.
In May 2026, the Council of Ministers adopted a decree adding six more. Three to nine, in one act yet most coverage reported the royalty. The more interesting material is underneath it.
The 17 August letter is right where it has been doubted, wrong where it is most confident, and blind to the provision that would have made its case.
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