Three Chinese nationals are detained by the Congo in a crackdown on illicit mining

Three Chinese nationals were found guilty of illicit actions related to the artisanal mining industry and sentenced to seven years in jail by a Congolese court after they were apprehended in possession of gold bars and $400,000 in cash.

Since the Democratic Republic of the Congo began its most recent campaign to crack down on the unauthorized mining of the several crucial and valuable minerals buried in its war-torn east, the three are the first Chinese nationals to stand trial.

“This is an educational trial that should normally serve as a wake-up call to all Chinese nationals who think they can leave China, arrive in Kitutu, Kibe, Lugushwa, Kamituga, or Mwenga, and behave as if they were in their own room, without even paying the hotel fees,” lawyer Christian Wanduma, who is representing local communities in the trial, said.

The defendants were convicted on Tuesday of money laundering, unlawfully purchasing and possessing mineral substances, and other offenses by a judge in a court in Bukavu, the capital of the eastern South Kivu province.

The judge also sentenced them to jail, fined them $600,000, and barred them from Congo for good when their terms were completed.

Due to a lack of proof, he cleared them of accusations involving fraud and illicit mineral extraction. Throughout the trial, the defendants claimed they were unaware they were violating Congolese law prior to their detention on January 4, despite having entered guilty pleas to four of the seven allegations against them.

They would appeal the decision, according to their attorneys.

Congo has had difficulty preventing local armed groups and unregistered businesses from taking advantage of its abundant cobalt, copper, gold, and other mineral resources.

Following the release of Chinese individuals detained in a separate case on suspicion of unlawful mining, protesters came to the streets of Bukavu last week.

“Our minerals are being plundered by companies that are mostly Chinese-owned, and our people remain in extreme poverty, the roads are very dilapidated, we have difficulty accessing drinking water, health care, education, electricity, employment,” Nene Bintu, a leader of civil society, said

“This situation has gone on for too long and must end now.”
Six minor Chinese-owned mining enterprises were banned by the government in 2021 on suspicion of engaging in illicit activities.