Around 7,000 artisanal miners demonstrated this Wednesday in Kolwezi, the rich mining town in the Katanga region in the south of the DRC. Miners working within the perimeter of the public company Gécamines were protesting against the erection of a barricade which prevents them from evacuating raw copper and cobalt ores. For its part, Gécamines assures that it wants to protect its concession illegally invaded by these operators. A month ago, three minors were shot dead during another demonstration at the same site.
1 min
With our special correspondent in Kolwezi, Denise Maheho
On the site called “Carpentry” in the Gécamines concession in Kolwezi, trucks loaded with minerals are parked in front of makeshift counters. Impossible to leave the place: a large metal pipe blocks the road. Roland, a miner, is very angry. “ We cannot sacrifice an entire world… We are in our country. We must enjoy our minerals. »
A little further away, Lebanese nationals also exploit the same mine, but their access is free. Samy Mulaj, from the artisanal miners’ union, points out the confusion of the situation. “ Why do they allow them to release their mining products and yet they are invaders just like the miners? »
For Gécamines, this decision aims to secure its concession, from which thousands of miners illegally benefit. Désiré Kalasa is an industrial guard inspector. “ The operation only started yesterday. The fact that one lane is still blocked is not intentional. So there is no bias, no… »
Jacques Kumba, provincial minister of Mines, plays appeasement. “ We are aware that the invasion of industrial sites by miners is a general problem but we need peace and security. »
Gécamines and the provincial government are meeting this Thursday to try to defuse the crisis.