Three Chinese nationals jailed for illegal gold mining in Congo
Three Chinese men were sentenced to 7 years in jail for engaging in activities related to illegal mining in Congo amid growing concerns over Chinese mining companies activity.
According to VOA on January 16th, the court of Bukavu, capital of gold rich south Kivu province, convicted the men for illegally purchasing and possessing minerals and money laundering, among other offenses.
The discovery of 400,000 in cash and a sizeable amount of gold in the hands of the suspect motivated the arrest, raising the alarm on a potential large-scale operation involving organized networks.
The governor of South Kivu province, Jean Jacque Purusi, shares the growing dissatisfaction of the population with those who pillage the country’s resources.
“This is only one-tenth of what they have already taken from us. We will not let it go. This is the wealth of the people of South Kivu. We are determined to go all the way because enough is enough,” Purusi said.
Etienne Mutware, a lecturer at the Evangelical University in Africa in Bukavu, concurs, regretting that exploitation often prevail in the region under the guise of falsely mutual partnerships.
“Partnerships are meant to bring mutual benefits like infrastructure, schools, and development. However, fraud, corruption, and illegal mining in the Congo have thwarted these expectations, resulting in a significant loss for both the population and the nation”, he says.
In July, Purusi suspended mining activities for companies that did not comply with congolese law.
This prompted companies sometimes operating under permits that had expired decades ago to renew their authorisation according to RFI.
Protests erupted against chinese companies in December, with religious and civil society groups taking the street, demanding the development of infrastructure and accountability for foreign companies.
Despite local efforts to curb the black market, gold production has continued to escape legal channels in a region that has seen a boom in gold exports in the last three years.
VOA, RFI
