DRC Orders Mining Fraud Probe After Seizure of Trucks and Copper-Cobalt Materials

Published: Nov 03, 2026 14:53 (GMT+8)

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s justice ministry said on November 2 that an inter-agency operation had seized more than 500 trucks and other machines, along with several thousand tonnes of copper and cobalt, across mining sites in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces, including Menda. The statement did not specify the materials’ physical form or contained metal content. Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa instructed the prosecutor-general at the Court of Cassation to investigate suspected mining fraud, illegal extraction and mineral smuggling, and establish any criminal liability. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating mining fraud and illegal exploitation of natural resources, describing these efforts as necessary to safeguard national sovereignty and economic interests, and to fulfil the president’s commitments.

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