Illegal miners refuse to leave site

Illegal miners at a copper and cobalt mine run by Glencore in the DRC have defied a deadline to vacate the site, raising fears of a potentially violent stand-off. A landslide last Thursday at the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) concession, majority-owned by a Glencore subsidiary and located in the south-eastern part of the country, killed 43 people, prompting the government to pledge to remove the miners. Al Jazeera reports that General John Numbi said police were closing illegal trading houses around the mine and would call in the army if necessary. However, Delphin Monga, provincial secretary of the UCDT union, which represents KCC employees, said illegal miners inside the concession continued to work undisturbed and some had even thrown rocks at company vehicles.