Many mines span hundreds of square kilometers across rural terrains, a tantalizing prospect for illegal miners, also known as artisanal miners, who break into sites in search of metals, some of which end up in electric cars and other products.
Thursday’s tragedy occurred in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kamoto Copper Company concession, which spans kilometers of flat terrain on the outskirts of Kolwezi in the southern part of the country. The mine is operated by Kamoto Copper Company , a joint venture between Glencore-controlled Katanga Mining Ltd and the state-owned Gecamines.
In South Africa, there are an estimated 30,000 illegal miners providing one of the biggest sources of illicit gold on the continent, with an output of around 14 billion rand per year, according to ENACT, which conducts research into transnational organized crime. Miners operating in risky jurisdictions, as a result, employ a variety of measures – ranging from antagonistic to collaborative – to safeguard operations.