The militant group known as the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (CODECO) Attacked An explosion at a China-linked gold mine on Wednesday killed six Chinese miners and two Congolese army soldiers.
The attackers kidnapped several miners and set fire to the nearby village of Gambara.
CODECO, despite its bureaucratic name, Very vicious Tribal militias — dozens brutal terrorist group The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is plagued by murder Men, women and children, often carrying machetes, their targets include refugee camps and humanitarian workers. It is often a choice made without any clear motivation.
CODECO claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks on Gambara and the Camp Blanket gold mine in Democratic Republic of Congo’s gold-rich northeastern Ituri province. Camp Blanket is a small-scale “artisanal” gold mine run mainly by local tribesmen, but a privately funded Chinese company also works there.
Camping Blanket Located The area is claimed by another armed group, the Zairean militia, which has been fighting CODECO for years for land, influence, and funds. The Zairean militia began as an offshoot of CODECO and eventually became one of its most ardent enemies. Because the militia is supposed to “guard” the mines, FARDC deployments to the mine sites are minimal.
“The provisional death toll is four Chinese and two FARDC members,” state parliament member Jean-Pierre Bikrizende said. Other sources said six Chinese were killed. The Chinese government did not immediately confirm the number.
Red Cross representative Said It said on Friday that all of the slain victims “were killed by gunfire,” and that at least six of the attackers were also shot dead.
Camping Blanket Eligible A bloodier CODECO attack in May 2022 left at least 35 people dead, including an infant. Local officials complained at the time that the gold mine was too far from the nearest military base and that it was taking too long for reinforcements to arrive.
About a dozen Chinese nationals have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past four years, most of them during attacks on gold mines or gold transport vehicles.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry was furious. be criticized Thursday’s attack.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said:
An all-out search is underway for the missing Chinese nationals, and we urge the DRC to take concrete and effective measures to catch and bring to justice those responsible as soon as possible, and to better safeguard the safety and security of Chinese nationals and enterprises in the DRC.
“We once again call on Chinese people to strictly adhere to and act in accordance with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ safety alerts, refrain from traveling to high-risk areas, and if they are already in those areas, leave the areas as soon as possible,” Mao added.
