International tantalite prices have risen sharply over the past two weeks following renewed violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the end of the Lunar New Year public holiday in China.
Argus last assessed prices for minimum 25pc tantalite at $80-88/lb cif main ports on February 6, up by around 8% compared to $75-81/lb on January 28. Prices are expected to continue rising in the near term.
The Argus index surged as Chinese consumers returned to the market after the Lunar New Year holiday with limited stocks, urgently seeking material from Central Africa amid escalating conflict in eastern DRC. The M23 militant group took control of Goma in North Kivu province at the end of January and has advanced towards Bukavu in South Kivu recently, despite announcing a ceasefire last week.
An emergency summit of African leaders on February 8 urged all parties involved in the conflict to hold peace talks within five days and to open humanitarian corridors.
M23 has captured or surrounded several mine sites for the 3T conflict minerals—tantalum, tungsten, and tin—prompting local artisanal mining companies to flee and due diligence organization ITSCI to withdraw from multiple territories in the region. Most recently, M23 took control of Nyabibwe town in South Kivu, close to the Nyabibwe tin mine.
The extraction, transport, trade, handling, and export of minerals produced at mines occupied by non-state armed groups go against OECD guidelines for responsible mineral sourcing. This means most smelters and downstream original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will not accept material mined in areas under M23 control.
The rapid advance of M23 has led mining firms to export material from DRC to avoid possible looting, market participants said. Banks in South Kivu are out of cash, further encouraging artisanal mining firms in the area to sell material quickly.
M23's expansion in DRC has come at a time when global tantalite supply is already squeezed. The group's takeover of the mining town of Rubaya in May last year, a recognition dispute between ITSCI and the responsible minerals initiative, the implementation of the US' Section 301 tariffs on Chinese tantalum products, and generally sluggish demand from the downstream electronics industry meant that many smelters worked through their stocks in 2024 and started this year with limited inventories.
"Compared to last year, there's not much material sitting in the supply chain. 2024 was the year of decreasing inventory and now we are starting to pick up more units," a tantalite consumer said.
OEMs and smelters have faced pressure from major technology companies such as Apple to cut Rwandan and DRC tantalite from the supply chain due to the increased risk of mineral fraud. Some tantalite consumers have aimed to diversify their supply chains with material produced in other African countries including Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone. However, political unrest has also disrupted supply from Mozambique recently, and much less material is available from other origins compared to mines in the Great Lakes region.
"This is a challenging year for tantalum. We are facing very restricted supply chains," a consumer said.
