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What’s life like for communities living near a cobalt mine in DRCongo?

“The air, there is smoke, there are gases, the environment is polluted with this exploitation. Explosions blight people’s livesâ€

We’ve spoken many times on Africa Daily about mining and whether natural resources are actually a blessing or a curse for the continent.

It’s led to decades of conflict in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and the neighbouring Central African Republic - and reports from Human Rights organisations about the appalling conditions miners - including children - often work in.

But we rarely get a real sense of what it’s like for people living in these areas.

The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s new Global China Unit has been looking inside the mines owned by Chinese companies in the DR Congo, Indonesia and Argentina.

Africa Daily’s Mpho Lakaje talked to the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s Wanqing Zhang about a mine near Lubumbashi, a place often referred to as the mining capital of the country, and learned more about the lives of the communities living near the mine.

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18 minutes

Podcast