DRC Opens Judicial Investigations into Alleged Mining Fraud in Copper-Cobalt Regions

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.