Congo court sentences Chinese nationals to 7 years in prison in illegal mining crackdown

UVIRA, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO — 

A court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sentenced three Chinese nationals to seven years in prison for engaging in activities related to illegal mining.

The court, in Congo’s eastern city of Bukavu, the capital of Congo’s gold-rich South Kivu province, sentenced the men late Tuesday for the illegal purchase and possession of minerals, money laundering and other offenses.

The suspects were found in possession of $400,000 in cash and a substantial amount of gold on Sunday, raising concerns about the scale of their operations and the potential involvement of organized networks.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the governor of South Kivu province, Jean Jacque Purusi, said people there are tired of those who plunder 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.

Jean Paul Kasinga a local official, told VOA that it was unusual for someone to be moving around with that much money.

“They didn’t have any official document allowing them to work and without government knowledge.”

Etienne Mutware, a lecturer at the Evangelical University in Africa in Panzi, Bukavu, said that illegal mining activities rob the local community of potential revenue.

“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,” Mutware told VOA.

Purusi halted mineral mining in July to curb illegal mining and ensure that mining operations are conducted in a regulated and sustainable manner.

In December religious groups and civil society members in South Kivu’s Mwenga territory took to the streets, voicing their concerns over the activities of Chinese mining companies. Protesters demanded infrastructure development and accountability from foreign companies.

“These Chinese companies in (the towns of) Lugusha, Kitutu, Kaboke, Suguru, and Mitobo have failed to fulfill their promises. They promised to build schools, bridges, roads, hospitals, and a stadium, and to provide scholarships for our students. But they have done nothing,” one protester told VOA’s Central Africa Service.

This story originated in VOA's Central Africa Service. Some information also came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.