- Write by:
-
Thursday, June 25, 2020 - 12:35:17 PM
-
699 Visit
-
Print
Mining News Pro - A violent attack to Société Minière de Bisunzu’s (SMB) coltan mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed three and injured another three workers, amid an increase of attacks to mining operations in the country’s mineral-rich eastern region.
It remains unclear what happened at the mine, as the company and unions gave different accounts.
SMB reported a grenade attack followed by gunfire. Workers claim the three victims were shot dead by security forces.
Earlier this month, the United Nations published a report showing that at least 1.1 tonnes of gold mined in the DRC has been smuggled out in the past year into countries along the eastern border.
Citing accounts from several smugglers, the document noted that militia continue to profit from illegal gold mining in the area.
Illicit extraction of cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and coltan, which are key in the production of smart phones and other high tech devices, has been reduced to a minimum, but not eliminated, the report said.
SMB’s mine near Rubaya, North Kivu province, has seen a spike of violent clashes between local artisanal miners and police hired to prevent smuggling.
The company is the DRC’s top exporter of coltan, a tantalum-rich metal, and also produces tantalum, cassiterite and wolframite.
Responsibly sourced
Automakers and high tech companies including Apple, Samsung and IBM are all under pressure to show metals used in products are sourced responsibly.
The United States passed legislation in 2010 requiring companies listed in the country to disclose where their tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold came from. It also instructed them to perform due diligence.
A similar European Union rule will take effect in 2021 and the London Metal Exchange could ban suppliers of metals that are not responsibly sourced by 2025.
The US Geological Survey estimates that the Congo produced 39% of the world’s tantalum last year.
Short Link:
https://www.miningnews.ir/En/News/553804
Top copper producer Codelco reported a decline in quarterly output due to lower quality ore at its aging Chilean mines — ...
When former boss Mark Cutifani left Anglo American Plc in mid-April 2022, things had rarely looked better for the ...
Chile President Gabriel Boric said on Thursday he is targeting an increase in the country’s annual copper output by 1 ...
Brazilian miner Vale SA sees no impact from BHP Group’s bid for Anglo American on the latter’s Minas-Rio project, its ...
Copper miner Antofagasta Plc is holding meetings with investors this week for its first dollar bond offering in nearly ...
China’s Tianqi Lithium said on Thursday it has formally requested that a proposed joint venture between lithium company ...
Copper needs to reach $12,000 a ton — a 20% jump from this week’s high — to incentivize large-scale investments in new ...
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government notified Apple Inc. of concerns that the company’s supply chain may be ...
Teck Resources, Canada’s largest diversified miner, saw its copper production jump by 74% in the first three months of ...
No comments have been posted yet ...