AVZ Minerals Limited (AVZ or the Company) has confirmed the resumption of arbitration proceedings before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
The proceedings were initiated by the Company’s subsidiaries—AVZ International Pty Ltd (AVZI), Green Lithium Holdings Pte Ltd (GLH), and Dathcom Mining SA (Dathcom)—against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The dispute centers on the DRC’s failure to grant a mining exploitation permit (Permis d’Exploitation or PE) to Dathcom for the area covered under Permit PR 13359 (ICSID Case No. ARB/23/20).
As previously announced on 26 May 2025, AVZ and the DRC had agreed to a temporary suspension of the ICSID proceedings until 23 June 2025.
This suspension followed encouragement from the United States government, which urged both parties to foster an environment conducive to meaningful settlement discussions.
Despite AVZ’s efforts, the DRC did not engage with the Company during the suspension period, which has now lapsed.
As a result, the ICSID arbitration will proceed. AVZ is taking further steps to hold the DRC accountable for its non-compliance with injunctions issued under Procedural Order No. 3, including the submission of a new application to the ICSID Tribunal.
Additionally, AVZI is involved in separate proceedings initiated under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) against La Congolaise d’Exploitation Minière (Cominière) (ICC Case No. 27720/SP).
In a recent development, the ICC Tribunal dismissed Cominière’s application to bifurcate the arbitration—an attempt to seek a preliminary ruling on specific allegations.
Notably, the ICSID Tribunal had already rejected a similar application earlier in the ICSID proceedings, as referenced in AVZ’s prior announcement.
AVZ Minerals reiterated its willingness to engage in respectful discussions that acknowledge its ongoing majority interest in Dathcom and its legal claim to the Manono Lithium Project under Permit PR 13359.
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