https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Copper|Mining|Resources
Copper|Mining|Resources
copper|mining|resources

Congo deploys army to protect China Moly's copper mine from illegal miners

19th June 2019

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

DAKAR – Congo's military has deployed hundreds of soldiers to protect a major copper and cobalt mine owned by China Molybdenum from illegal miners, an army spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The Tenke Fungurume mine is one of the largest in Democratic Republic of Congo, which is Africa's leading copper producer and the world's top miner of cobalt, a key component in electric car batteries.

Mining companies operating in Congo, which include Glencore, Ivanhoe and Barrick, routinely say the presence of illegal miners on their properties is one of their greatest challenges. As many as 10 000 diggers have been estimated to operate in and around the Tenke mine.

The army deployed several hundred troops on Tuesday to the Tenke mine, spokesperson Colonel Emmanuel Kabamba said.

"The hierarchy decided to deploy soldiers to secure the company because the company contributes to the economy of this country," Kabamba told Reuters.

China Molybdenum did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The watchdog group Southern African Resources Watch (SARW) said in a statement that the deployment was "dangerous and potentially counterproductive".

"The deployment of soldiers, if not well managed, risks leading to unfortunate human rights abuses, which could tarnish the reputation of the company and the supply chain for Congolese cobalt," it said.

Previous army deployments to Congolese mines have generated controversy. Government troops killed scores of civilians in 2004 in the copper-mining town of Kilwa as they battled a small group of ill-equipped rebels.

Nine Congolese soldiers were tried for war crimes and three employees of Australia's Anvil Mining were tried for complicity in war crimes over the killings. A military court acquitted them all in 2007.

The electric vehicles revolution has fuelled rising demand for cobalt, but human rights groups have raised concerns about a supply chain they say is tainted by child labour and other human rights abuses.

Edited by Reuters

Comments

Showroom

Rentech
Rentech

Rentech provides renewable energy products and services to the local and selected African markets. Supplying inverters, lithium and lead-acid...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
WearCheck
WearCheck

Leading condition monitoring specialists, WearCheck, help boost machinery lifespan and reduce catastrophic component failure through the scientific...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.07 0.121s - 158pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now