KEY POINTS
- Congo ordered probes into mining fraud and smuggling in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga.
- Authorities seized over 500 trucks and thousands of tons of copper and cobalt.
- More than 60 foreign nationals were detained at an ERG-owned site.
Congo’s justice minister has ordered judicial investigations into suspected mining fraud and mineral smuggling in the copper- and cobalt-rich provinces of Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, after authorities seized more than 500 trucks and thousands of metric tons of copper and cobalt, Reuters reported.
A mission of police, soldiers, military magistrates and mines ministry experts made the seizures at several mining sites, notably Menda, according to a government statement issued late Monday.
Mining fraud crackdown hits ERG concession
Last week, a government task force sent by the presidency seized more than 500 pieces of mining equipment at Boss Mining’s Menda concession near Kolwezi, the statement said. Boss Mining is owned by Luxembourg-based Eurasian Resources Group, which also runs the Frontier and Metalkol operations in Congo.
Authorities said last week that expatriates working with Congolese nationals had used the equipment for illegal mining. In a separate operation, they also detained more than 60 foreign nationals at the site. ERG did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Illegal mining spreads across Africa
Congo is the world’s largest cobalt producer and second-largest copper producer. However, it is battling widespread illegal and artisanal mining, fueled by high metal prices and increasingly encroaching on industrial concessions.
Meanwhile, governments across Africa are stepping up crackdowns on illegal mining while trying to formalize artisanal operations. Their goal is to bring more production into formal channels and boost state revenue.
