A gold miner in the Congo says that M23 rebels make workers do work for free
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been accused by gold miner Twangiza Mining SA of occupying its mine in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and forcing its workers to work against their will and without compensation.
More territory than ever before was captured by M23 during a lightning offensive in eastern Congo early this year in the provinces of North and South Kivu. South Kivu province is home to the Twangiza Mining location.
The firm claimed in May that M23 had accused it of not paying taxes, leading to an order to halt activities at the mine.
According to a fresh statement released Friday, Twangiza Mining, a Chinese company with its headquarters in Congo, claimed that its employees were “held in captivity, forced to work in inhuman conditions, without any security measure, remuneration or medical coverage.”
The company’s claims could not be independently confirmed by Reuters.
Requests for response were not answered by the Congo’s government or M23.
Production has been “paralyzed” and the site is “entirely controlled” by a group of Rwandan nationals who have been exploiting the mine “for their own profit by treating our employees like slaves deprived of all protection” alongside M23 and posing as new investors, according to Twangiza Mining’s statement.
Rwanda is deploying troops and weapons to back M23, according to the Congo, the UN, and Western nations.
Rwanda has always denied aiding M23, claiming that its troops were defending themselves against the Congolese army and ethnic Hutu militants connected to the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Spokesman for the Rwandan government Yolande Makolo claimed on Monday that the conflict with Twangiza Mining was unrelated to Rwanda.
“Rwanda is not involved in this situation, and the accusations against Rwandan citizens are without basis – there is no record or information of any Rwanda citizens involved in such activities,” said Makolo.
“This is a local issue that should be taken up with the authorities in the area.”
In an effort to put an end to the conflict that has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands more this year, the foreign ministers of Rwanda and Congo signed a peace agreement mediated by the United States on Friday.
With its wealth in tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper, and lithium, Congo is a target for billions of dollars in Western investment under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Congo has been holding discussions with M23 in Qatar.
