VIDEO: Chinese workers condemned for ordering soldiers to beat up artisanal miners in the DRC
According to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the mine workers ordered two soldiers of the FARDC to beat up and mistreat the artisanal miners.
“The army proceeded to the arrest and then the transfer of these two soldiers and their Chinese accomplices”, army spokesman Leon-Richard Kasonga said in a statement.
On Twitter, the INITIATIVE LUALABA YA BIS profile shared a video of the crime. The video began circulating this week although it’s not confirmed as to when it was shot.
“We severely condemn the action taken by our FARDC to whip our compatriots on the orders of the Chinese in a cobalt mine! Regardless of the fault committed,” the organization posted.
Southern Congo sits atop an estimated 3.4 million tonnes of cobalt, almost half the world’s known supply. In recent decades, hundreds of thousands of Congolese have moved to the formerly remote area. Artisanal miners extract cobalt by hand in precarious conditions, often working on illegal or only semi-regulated sites.
Illegal miners often make forays into mines legally assigned to Congolese or foreign industrial operators, causing similar incidents.
According to the South China Morning Post, a Chinese company is officially authorized to operate the mine where the crime took place.
Related Article: What China’s increasing control over cobalt resources in the DRC means for the West – report
