China’s miners face rich rewards and real dangers in Congo gold rush
- Killings and kidnappings are rocking the country’s lawless east, where more than 100 rival armed groups are operating
- Most Chinese mining operations work with political and military elites and armed militia to extract the region’s rich mineral resources
Five Chinese mine workers are still in the hands of kidnappers, who snatched them on Sunday from the Beyond Mining Company’s gold mine in South Kivu province in an armed attack which also killed a police officer and injured another.
Kivu and the neighbouring province of Ituri, where the latest attack took place, are home to a massive amount of minerals, including gold, tin, tungsten, and tantalum, drawing thousands of individuals and companies into their mining villages.
But there are also more than 100 local and national militia fighting to control the mineral resources and land.
Companies from China are paying a high cost for their investment in the region, with Chinese and Congolese authorities reporting several workers, including some Chinese nationals, have been kidnapped in the recent past.
Following the latest kidnapping, Beijing has called on Chinese companies operating in eastern Congo to take precautions and move off their sites.