Chinese representatives are not passive investors, but are on site, overseeing the operations, he said.
He described an incident in which “two persons identified as Chinese citizen[s] … instructed two Congolese military officers to whip two Congolese who were found on their site.” The whipping, which was captured on video and shared on the internet, demonstrates the cooperation between Chinese companies and DCR government officials, he said.
Father Rigobert Minani Bihuzo, a Catholic priest who has worked to expose child labor and human rights violations in the DRC’s mining sector, testified to the dangerous working condition at the mines.
“They work seven days a week and more than 12 hours a day,” he said. Using tools like hammers, chisels, and spades, their working conditions are like that of slavery, he said. Injuries are common, and for those who are hurt or become sick, the lack of medical care means “the majority will die due to various untreated illnesses,” he said.
China is the major foreign player in the DCR’s mining industry. As of 2019, China imported 83% of its cobalt and 9% of its refined copper and copper alloys from the DRC, and Chinese companies reportedly control the majority of the DRC’s copper and cobalt mining projects and output, according to a report in the Globe and Mail.
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