By : Lloyd Mahachi
Three Chinese nationals have been arrested in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo with 12 gold bars and $800,000 in cash. The gold and money were hidden under the seats of the vehicle they were traveling in, according to Jean Jacques Purusi, the governor of South Kivu province.
The operation to arrest the men was kept secret after the recent release of another group of Chinese nationals accused of running an illegal gold mine in the area. Purusi said that some of these dealers in precious metals enjoyed good relations with influential people in the capital, Kinshasa, and this was why the mission to carry out these latest arrests had to be kept quiet.
Eastern DR Congo has abundant reserves of gold, diamonds, and the minerals used to make batteries for mobile phones and electric vehicles. This mineral wealth has been plundered by foreign groups since the colonial era and is one of the main reasons why the region has been plagued by instability for the last 30 years.
Militia groups control many of the mines in eastern DR Congo, and their leaders become wealthy by selling the minerals to middlemen. The governor said that they had been acting on a tip-off and that the gold and money were only found after a meticulous search of the vehicle in the Walungu area, not far from the border with Rwanda.
He did not say exactly how much gold had been seized. Last month, the governor told reporters that he was shocked to hear that 17 Chinese nationals, who had been arrested on allegations of running an illegal gold mine, had been freed and allowed to return to China.
He said that this undermined efforts to clean up DR Congo’s notoriously murky mineral sector. The 17 Chinese nationals owed $10m in taxes and fines to the government, according to Reuters. The Chinese embassy has not commented on the allegations.
The arrests come as fighting continues to flare in the neighboring North Kivu province, where a Rwanda-backed rebel group has captured large areas of territory. Last month, DR Congo said it was suing Apple over the use of “blood minerals”, prompting the tech giant to say it had stopped getting supplies from both DR Congo and neighboring Rwanda.
Rwanda has denied being a conduit for the export of illegal minerals from DR Congo. In their lawsuit, lawyers acting for the Congolese government alleged that the minerals taken from conflict areas were then “laundered through international supply chains”.
“These activities have fueled a cycle of violence and conflict by financing militias and terrorist groups and have contributed to forced child labor and environmental devastation,” they said. The lawsuit is a significant step in the efforts to clean up the mineral sector in DR Congo and to hold companies accountable for their role in the conflict.
The use of “blood minerals” is a serious issue that has been plaguing the region for years. The minerals are often extracted using forced labor and are then sold to companies that use them in their products. The companies often claim that they do not know where the minerals come from, but the lawsuit alleges that they are aware of the source of the minerals and are complicit in the conflict.
The conflict in eastern DR Congo is complex and involves many different groups. The region is rich in natural resources, and the fight for control of these resources is a major driver of the conflict. The international community has been working to try to bring peace to the region, but the conflict continues to simmer.
The arrest of the Chinese nationals is a significant step in the efforts to clean up the mineral sector in DR Congo. It sends a message that the government is serious about enforcing the law and holding people accountable for their actions. However, more needs to be done to address the root causes of the conflict and to bring peace to the region.
Editor : Josephine Mahachi