Illegal miners return to Eurasian Resources’ Congo cobalt site

ILLEGAL miners backed by armed men have again occupied part of a major cobalt project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bloomberg reported.

Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) said the latest incursion at its Metalkol operation near Kolwezi began on August 21 and was continuing. It involves “armed men in uniform and groups of miners operating without authorisation”.

ERG estimates about 700 tons of tailings are being removed each day using excavators and trucks working around the clock. The material is being sent to nearby Chinese-owned plants.

Metalkol cannot access the occupied area because of the military presence, ERG said.

A similar occupation began in February and was cleared by the armed forces after Bloomberg reported on it in May. President Felix Tshisekedi in July ordered ministers to end the illegal militarisation of mining sites.

Congo’s General Inspectorate of Mines said the government had been informed and measures were being taken to find a lasting solution.

Metalkol holds rights to reprocess more than 100 million tons of historic mine tailings and is one of Congo’s biggest cobalt suppliers. Only projects owned by CMOC Group and Glencore export more of the battery metal.

ERG said the incursions were continuing despite Tshisekedi’s instructions.

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