At least 32 people died when a bridge gave way at the Kalando copper and cobalt mine in Lualaba province after unauthorized miners entered the restricted site despite warnings about rainfall and landslide dangers. Regional interior minister Roy Kaumba Mayonde confirmed the casualties, while a government mining agency report placed fatalities higher at 40, stating that soldiers fired weapons to disperse the crowd and triggered a stampede onto the structure.
The mining support service SAEMAPE indicated ongoing tensions between informal diggers, an organizing cooperative, and legitimate site operators over military deployment at the location. Congo supplies most global cobalt for lithium-ion batteries, with Chinese firms controlling four-fifths of output, though the sector faces persistent allegations regarding underage workers, hazardous environments, and graft. Armed conflict involving government troops and various militias continues to destabilize the mineral-rich eastern regions.
The mining support service SAEMAPE indicated ongoing tensions between informal diggers, an organizing cooperative, and legitimate site operators over military deployment at the location. Congo supplies most global cobalt for lithium-ion batteries, with Chinese firms controlling four-fifths of output, though the sector faces persistent allegations regarding underage workers, hazardous environments, and graft. Armed conflict involving government troops and various militias continues to destabilize the mineral-rich eastern regions.
