The Kolwezi mine has an annual production capacity of 120,000 tonnes of copper and 3,000 tonnes of cobalt. Many African civil society organizations fear that, ...

A view of the open pit mine in downtown Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct. 13, 2022. Once a thriving neighborhood of neat houses and tree-shaded avenues, this district of the city of ...

Kolwezi has some of the world's largest copper and cobalt reserves and that makes it a key location at the heart of the U.S. and China's jostle for mineral supremacy on the African continent.

In 2016 it took over the Tenke Fungurume mine near Kolwezi in a deal with the American miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc. and Canada's Lundin Mining Corp. that totaled $3.8 billion.

Now, Kolwezi is at the center of U.S.-Chinese competition over critical minerals. Earlier this year, mining firms began shipping ore along a U.S.-backed railway that terminates in Angola's ...

Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin committed to restore Kakula Mine back into production as soon as safely possible Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo--(Newsfile Corp. - May 26, 2025) - Ivanhoe Mines ...

In Kolwezi, the Mining Cooperative for Social Development (CMDS), which oversees more than 6,000 artisanal miners at the Kamilombe site some 10 km (6 mi) from the city, ...

A general view of artisanal miners working at a mine near Kolwezi. Rights groups have flagged human rights abuses in the region [File: Junior Kannah/AFP] A ‘wrong path’?

These stark images tell a dark tale about the mining of cobalt, one of the most prized minerals of the modern technological age.. Taken near Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a ...

Photos: Satellite images taken from 2017-2022 show the expanding mine near Kolwezi, DRC. Credit: Planet Labs PBC. This mining boom has also led many to turn to the industry for work.