The Democratic Republic of Congo has extended for six months a ban on the trading of minerals from dozens of artisanal mining sites in conflict-hit North and South Kivu provinces, the mines ministry said.
The extension adds compliance pressure on global supply chains for tin, tantalum and tungsten, key inputs for the electronics, automotive and aerospace industries.
The ban, introduced in February, is being kept in place because of evidence that illegal supply from mines is financing armed groups in the east, according to an order dated November 3 and signed by the mines minister, Louis Watum Kabamba.
