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The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s state-owned cobalt company Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) said it had purchased approximately 100 truckloads of copper-cobalt ore since the Musompo mineral trading centre in Kolwezi, Lualaba province, resumed operations on October 26, Bankable reported on November 2. EGC did not disclose the actual tonnage purchased. The centre opened in 2023 but remained largely underused because of its distance from some mining sites, administrative difficulties along transport routes and multiple charges. The reopening was overseen by the DRC’s mines minister, with mineral certification agency CEEC managing technical operations and EGC acting as the buyer. EGC said some of the ore it purchased came from operations overseen by an interagency task force, including seized or intercepted cargoes brought to the centre for compliance checks and sale through formal channels. Some cooperatives have also voluntarily delivered their production directly to the centre for sale. EGC said it applies a reference pricing framework developed with relevant government agencies that takes into account actual cargo weight, ore grades and potential by-products. The centre’s reopening forms part of the DRC’s wider effort to regulate artisanal mining and bring mineral sales into formal channels.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa has ordered judicial investigations into suspected mining fraud, illegal mining and mineral smuggling at several sites in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga provinces, local media outlet Le Point reported on November 2. A joint task force comprising Congolese police, military personnel, military magistrates and mining ministry experts previously conducted operations at several mining sites, including Menda. The operations resulted in the seizure of more than 500 trucks and other pieces of equipment, as well as several thousand tonnes of copper and cobalt. The statement did not disclose the separate volumes of copper and cobalt, the forms of the materials or the companies involved. The investigations aim to establish the facts, identify potential criminal responsibility and determine appropriate legal action. The justice minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to combating mining fraud and the illegal exploitation of natural resources to protect national sovereignty and economic interests. Separately, the Chinese Embassy in the DRC said in a safety notice dated October 31 that large-scale demonstrations around mining areas in the country’s southeastern provinces had affected transport and business operations. It also said that some Chinese mining companies had been subject to regulatory enforcement amid a mining-sector crackdown, and that the embassy had sent a working group to coordinate on site.