Several hundred people demonstrated Wednesday in Democratic Republic of Congo to protest illegal mining in the country’s east, where authorities are investigating claims of widespread illicit Chinese involvement.
The gathering followed the announcement Sunday of the arrest of three Chinese nationals found in possession of gold bars and large sums of cash, according to South Kivu Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi.
Local authorities in the resource-rich province say hundreds of mining companies, mainly Chinese, extract gold without declaring profits and often without valid operating permits.
“South Kivu (province) minerals should serve the development and well-being of communities,” read one banner held aloft at the demonstration seen by an AFP reporter and called by pro-democracy movements and unions.
