The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has launched judicial investigations into suspected mining fraud after authorities seized more than 500 vehicles and several thousand tonnes of copper and cobalt.
Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa Atondoko Andali instructed the Attorney General at the Court of Cassation to establish the facts, determine potential criminal liability, and investigate suspected illegal mining and mineral smuggling.
The order follows a report from an inter-agency mission comprising members of the Congolese National Police, armed forces, military magistrates, and DRC Ministry of Mines.
According to a Justice Ministry statement on 2 November, the seizures occurred across several mining sites in the copper- and cobalt-rich provinces of Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, including Menda.
The government has not disclosed the separate quantities of copper and cobalt, the materials’ physical form, their contained metal volumes, or the ownership of the seized vehicles.
No companies or individuals have been publicly accused of wrongdoing.
Enforcement campaign widens
The investigations extend a wider campaign against unauthorised mining across the DRC’s southern copper belt.
About 300 Chinese nationals were reportedly detained around Kolwezi in October over suspected mining on concessions held by other operators. Some were subsequently released, although their legal status remains unclear, according to Bloomberg.
The enforcement campaign also prompted protests by artisanal miners in Kolwezi, as previously reported by Mining.com.au.
Separately, Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum suspended the head of state artisanal mining agency SAEMAPE on 21 October, accusing him of failing to prevent illegal activity on licensed concessions.
The DRC is the world’s largest cobalt producer and second-largest copper producer. Its southern mining provinces host major industrial operations alongside a substantial artisanal mining sector.
Write to France Pinzon at Mining.com.au
Main image: Agence Congolaise de Presse
