Congo detains about 300 Chinese nationals in copper crackdown

About 300 Chinese nationals working in the Democratic Republic of Congo's copper belt were detained earlier this week in a crackdown on illegal mining, with most of the arrests in the mining hub of Kolwezi.

Why it matters: Chinese companies dominate Congo's copper output, so a mass detention of Chinese nationals accused of mining illicitly on other firms' concessions lands directly on the country's copper supply chain and on Beijing's mining presence in Africa.

Data as of Friday, October 16, 2026, 2026-10-16T10:52:10-04:00 Toronto time. Single sourced to Bloomberg reporting based on unnamed people familiar with the matter; the article was opened and its visible text read, and no independent corroboration was found in this scan, so evidence grade is capped at C.

About 300 Chinese nationals working in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s copper belt were detained earlier this week in a crackdown on illegal mining, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Most of the arrests were in Kolwezi, the main mining hub of the copper belt.

Some of those detained were alleged to have mined illicitly on concessions belonging to other firms, the report said. Chinese companies dominate copper output in Congo, and the detentions are the largest reported move yet against foreign nationals in the country’s long running campaign against unlicensed mining.

Congo detains about 300 Chinese nationals in copper crackdown

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