Governor of eastern Congo’s gold-rich province bans mining activities to ‘restore order’

Associated Press

The governor of the South Kivu province in eastern Congo on Friday ordered the suspension of all mining activities in order to “restore order” in the mineral-rich region plagued by violence from armed groups. The local authorities gave 72 hours to “all mining companies, businesses and cooperatives to leave the sites and places of exploitation,” the statement added. It was difficult to immediately assess whether the decision would be respected because certain mining areas are under the control or influence of armed groups. It was also difficult to immediately assess the impact of this decision on the economic level. Thousands of residents of this gold and coltan-rich province depend directly or indirectly on mining.