00:07The Eastern DRC is a mineral-rich region, but one that is poorly governed.
00:13The country has large deposits of gold, cobalt and caulton, used in electronics and renewable
00:19technologies.
00:21But widespread corruption and conflict has left millions of small-scale miners struggling
00:26to get by while major mining firms make huge profits.
00:30Large-scale industrial extraction has also raised environmental concerns.
00:40Many residents here have been complaining about air pollution.
00:44Some of those mining factories emit harmful gases that make it difficult for us to sleep
00:49at night.
00:50The DRC's mining sector has attracted huge numbers of casual laborers who work without
00:55any protective gear in a dangerous industry.
00:59In February, more than 200 people died in the east after heavy rains caused the Rubaiya
01:05mines to collapse.
01:06The government is now seeking to promote safe and sustainable mining.
01:11Authorities recently signed the Institutional Framework Agreement, which is supposed to guarantee
01:16the transparency, safety and traceability of mineral flows.
01:21We've got to restore some order in artisanal mining because it's becoming quite an issue.
01:26But at the same time, we need to make sure that exploration is moving ahead.
01:33However, regions captured by M23 rebels have their own rules.
01:39Analysts say the rise in global demand for the DRC's critical minerals has partly contributed
01:46to illegal mining and the breakdown of law and order in the country's east.
01:50The laws are in Congo and the regulations are there in place.
01:57Is the regulations respected by the miners?
02:00No.
02:01And that's a big problem.
02:04If you go to Katanga, if you go to Kolwezi, we encounter that every single day.
02:09The people who don't want to follow by rules, they do whatever they want and they think they
02:18can buy everybody in Congo.
02:20And that's the problem.
02:21Dozens of people die in mining accidents in the DRC every year.
02:26But locals continue to return to the mines to earn a living amid widespread unemployment.
02:32According to the World Bank, artisanal mining provides a livelihood for around 10 million
02:38people in the DRC.
02:40But the vast majority of the miners are barely scraping by in a lucrative industry that has
02:45largely benefited multinational companies in the west.
02:49Now the DRC government is moving to formalize and safeguard the small-scale miners from the persistent
02:55disasters.
02:56Have a great day.
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