Kobold is the front runner at this stage, but keep in mind that...

Kobold is the front runner at this stage, but keep in mind that Zijin thought that they could use the old Jedi Bribery trick which is the normal practice here in the most corrupt country on the planet. Zijin does have a big cheque book, and they just may be forced to Trump Kobolds offer to gain full control and not waste the already paid bribery money. Celestin Kibeya has already distributed the bribery payment to all the appropriate dirty government officials so they can't get it back..
But Nigel and the boys are about to have a big ICSID win, presuming we get 13559 returned to AVZ then the cash register will be open for business.

As Felix has reduced the DRC military to long sticks and nice rocks to fight with, he is now suddenly worried that M23 will be able to just walk in and take over, this has forced him to go begging for assistance from Trumpy and Trumpy has asked for Manono to be returned to AVZ as he wants to keep the Chinese out of controlling the biggest Lithium deposit on the planet.
So, we should have 2 horses lining up for the Manono AVZ cup but wait there is a third horse that has been waiting in the stand watching on, one with a very very big cheque book and long flowing white robes. Somebody who also has aspirations for a homegrown battery park , somebody who could pay double what Nigel thinks it is worth, they can be seen regularly at DRC mining bullshit shows rubbing shoulders with criminals like Celestin and his Mafia mates.
So at the ICSID starting post for the Manono cup, we will have,
1. Kobold riding Black Caviar, at 10B to 1
2. Zijin riding Makybe Dive at 11B to 1
3. Saudi Arabia riding Phar Lap at 20B to 1
So Ladies and Gentlemen get ready for the greatest race of your life, I would expect that Celestin Kibeya and his lover Jacques Matenga to have already left the country by the start of the race.