insert_link Africa M23 rebels seize control of coltan nine in DR Congo A new report has revealed that M23 rebels are in control of Rubaya, one of the world’s largest coltan mines, which produces about 15% of the global supply. According to Reuters, locals manually dig the mineral, earning only a few dollars a day, before it is shipped to Asia for processing into tantalum, a high-demand metal used in electronics and aerospace industries. The United Nations says M23 has been plundering […] today14 August, 2025
insert_link South Africa Agriculture sector at risk as South Africa’s Amendment Bill opens farmland to mining South Africa's Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe (Photo: polity.org.za) Agriculture organisation TLU South Africa has warned that the sector is facing significant threats from the proposed Mineral Resources Development Amendment Bill. While the bill seeks to close regulatory gaps, simplify licensing, and ensure fair mining benefits, TLU SA's Bennie van Zyl cautions that expanded small-scale and artisanal mining permits could open farmland to unchecked mining, jeopardising environments […] today12 August, 2025
insert_link Africa Three Chinese Nationals Sentenced in Congo for Illegal Mining Activities A Congolese court has sentenced three Chinese citizens to seven years in prison for being caught with gold bars and $400,000 in cash, convicted of illegal activities related to the artisanal mining sector. According to Reuters, these individuals are the first Chinese nationals to face trial since the Democratic Republic of Congo intensified efforts to curb unlicensed mining in its conflict-ridden eastern regions. today16 January, 2025
insert_link Africa Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer, but it has an illegal mining issue: 5 essential reads By Godfred Boafo, The Conversation Ghana is one of the world’s gold hotspots. It is Africa’s largest producer of gold and it ranks sixth globally. In 2023, 4 million ounces were produced. It is essential to Ghana’s economy, contributing around 7% of gross domestic product. Ghana’s gold mines are found in most parts of the country, and the mining history can be traced back hundreds of years. However, […] today11 September, 2024
insert_link Africa DRC is the world’s largest producer of cobalt – how control by local elites can shape the global battery industry By Raphael Deberdt, Colorado School of Mines and Jessica DiCarlo, University of Utah The mineral-rich Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is often portrayed as a victim of exploitation by China, the US and Europe in their competition for its minerals, which are critical for the energy transition. But our research has found that the DRC can influence the shape of the cobalt market, in which it is […] today5 September, 2024
insert_link Africa ‘We miners die a lot.’ Appalling conditions and poverty wages: the lives of cobalt miners in the DRC Labourers load sacks of cobalt onto bicycles at Mutoshi mine in July 2021. Roy Maconachie Roy Maconachie, University of Bath It was a cool, dusty morning in July 2021, when I first visited the Kamilombe cobalt mine in Lualaba Province in south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Situated just outside Kapata on the south-west outskirts of Kolwezi, a mining town that has historically served as an important centre for copper and […] today31 January, 2024
