The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) plans to set up a paramilitary unit to secure the country’s large mining sites.

The General Inspectorate of Mines (IGM), which oversees the East African country’s abundant deposits of critical minerals, announced the creation of “the mining guard” on Monday. The unit will be backed by investments from the United States and United Arab Emirates as Washington and its ally seek to lock in access to the minerals and the DRC struggles with rebel groups for control in the country’s troubled east.

The Central African nation is responsible for about 70 percent of the global output of cobalt, a key mineral in the production of electric car batteries and defence technology.

Chinese mining firms have a dominant position in the country. The US is pushing to reduce this dominance. The enormous wealth to be found underground is also an element driving rebel groups.