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<\/p>\nTranslation result.<\/p>\n
[The Guru = Reporter Byun Su-ji] The Democratic Republic of the Congo\u2019s mining sector is reeling from a series of shocks\u2014illegal mining, military involvement and a renewed Ebola outbreak\u2014that are increasing instability across global raw-material supply chains.<\/p>\n
On May 19 (local time), Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) said illegal miners protected by the military have occupied a large portion of the site operated by its subsidiary at the Metalkol mine.<\/p>\n
Metalkol, near the southeastern mining city of Kolwezi, is one of the world\u2019s major cobalt-producing sites.<\/p>\n
ERG says military-backed mining groups have been hauling tailings\u2014waste left from earlier extraction\u2014out by the truckload. While tailings are residual material, many DRC mine sites contain high concentrations of cobalt and copper, so reprocessing them can be highly profitable.<\/p>\n
The area in question holds roughly 45 million tonnes of tailings. ERG warned that continued removal of those resources could shorten Metalkol\u2019s projected operating life from nine years to three, and it estimates potential losses exceed 15 trillion KRW (approximately 11.25 billion USD).<\/p>\n
There are also allegations that a senior DRC military official is involved in the illicit activity. Gabriel Amisi Kumba, the DRC\u2019s inspector general of the armed forces and a target of U.S. and EU sanctions, is reported to have ordered the military and intelligence services to support illegal tailings extraction. Amisi previously faced sanctions over alleged human rights abuses.<\/p>\n
Compounding the problem, an Ebola outbreak has added to the disruption. In Ituri province in eastern DRC, the outbreak that began late last month has killed 131 people to date.<\/p>\n
Ebola is an acute viral disease transmitted through bodily fluids, characterized by fever and hemorrhaging and carrying a high risk of death. Officials say the current outbreak\u2019s case fatality rate is about 30\u201350% and that there are no vaccines or approved treatments available for this wave.<\/p>\n
Neighboring countries, including Rwanda, have closed land borders with the DRC to try to curb the spread.<\/p>\n
Canadian miner Barrick said it is conducting temperature checks and monitoring worker movements at the Kibali gold mine, which is adjacent to the outbreak area.<\/p>\n
Experts caution, however, that containment will be difficult in eastern DRC, where miners and traders move frequently. Mining operations, trade and investment suffered significant disruptions during the 2014\u20132016 West Africa and 2018\u20132020 DRC Ebola outbreaks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Illegal mining and military involvement in the DRC’s cobalt sector worsen global supply chain issues amid an Ebola outbreak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0051\/thumb-4c50f0ed-0e06-4928-be5a-1a56696564fa.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social"],"yoast_head":"\n