China warns citizens to leave eastern DR Congo after series of deaths and kidnappings
- The area has long been plagued by violence, and Chinese citizens have also fallen foul of recent crackdown on illegal gold mining
Scores of armed groups are fighting for control of mineral resources and land in the area, creating what the Chinese embassy describes as a “severe” security situation.
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The embassy asked its citizens and companies in the affected areas to “immediately stop operations and evacuate as soon as possible.”
Chinese citizens have also been caught up in a recent crackdown on illegal mining in gold-rich South Kivu.
The authorities there are carrying out a large-scale audit of foreign-funded mining companies in the province and punishing illegal activities and “some Chinese citizens who were operating illegally in the local area have been arrested”, the embassy said on Sunday.
It added that it had requested the authorities to “enforce the law in a civilised manner and protect the personal safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens”.
Companies from China are paying a high cost for their investment in the region, which has been plagued by violence and instability for the past three decades, with a series of recent kidnappings of Chinese and Congolese workers.
