DR Congo tin mine to resume operations after suspension
DR Congo tin mine to resume operations after suspension
Alphamin Resources on Wednesday announced it was restarting operations at its Bisie tin mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, after a suspension due to conflict in the region.
Operations at Bisie the world's third most productive tin mine were halted in mid-March as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters advanced westward in restive North Kivu province.
A "phased resumption" was now starting after the armed group withdrew eastwards to positions more than 130 kilometres away, the company added.
"The company intends to redeploy employees as part of a plan to restart tin production in phases while it continues to monitor the security situation," a statement read.
"The mine is adequately supplied with consumables and spares to support the resumption of production."
The announcement comes as the government in Kinshasa and the M23 have had delegations in Qatar as part of attempts at direct talks to end the violence.
Eastern DRC lies on the border with Rwanda and is rich in resources, which has made it a hotbed of conflict for more than three decades.
In recent months, the M23 has seized the main city in North Kivu, Goma, and Bukavu, the provincial capital of neighbouring South Kivu.
The group pushed into the town of Walikale, near the Bisie mine, but withdrew at the start of April as US President Donald Trump's envoy Massad Boulos visited Kinshasa.
Alphamin is majority owned by the investment company Tremont Master Holdings based in Mauritius and created by the US private equity giant Denham Capial.
During Boulos's visit, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking support to end the conflict, also discussed a mining agreement.
No details of any deal were provided.
On a visit to Kigali on Tuesday, businessman Boulos, whose son is married to Tiffany Trump, said the United States was "committed" to ending the conflict peacefully.
Washington backed peace talks, he said, but would not get involved in discussions, calling it "internal matters".
The Bisie mine produced some 17,300 tonnes of tin concentrate in 2024, accounting for nearly six percent of global supply, according to the International Tin Association.
After the mine was evacuated, "the care and maintenance activities and tin concentrate export logistics continued without interruption", the company said.
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