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Case Number

20240901BR

Case Date of Filing

07/11/2024

Suspected/Known Time of Incident

Local Time and Date: 11:00hrs. 01/09/2023

 

GMT/Zulu Time and Date: 9:00hrs 01/09/2023

Case Researcher(s)

Charlotte Daisy Brunt

Summary

Four people killed and three further people injured in an ambush on a TSM mining convoy in Ngalula a village in the Fizi region of South Kivu province, DRC on the 1st Sept 2023. The attackers were from the neighbouring Maniema region and were motivated by the gold packages which they stole away into the nearby bush. Beyond this it is not clear what group the attackers belonged to although according to IPIS the village has been subject to interference by the FARDC and FDLR armed groups.

Those killed were two Chinese nationals, a Congolese solider and a Ghanian driver. A further Chinese mine employee and local mine employee and a local soldier were injured in the attack. The convoy was departing the mining operation in Ngalula around 11am local time and were in transit to Tanganyika province.

 

The South Kivu region has been home to a number of similar attacks as tensions between local armed groups and dominant Chinese mining firms has grown. Tensions are further fuelled by decades of insecurity as various militias fight to control valuable mineral resources.

Case Location

Latitude/Longitude (WGS84):

28° 48' 52,6" E , 4° 57' 56,9" S

Village of  Ngalula, Fizi region of South Kivu province, DRC. An artisanal gold panning mine existed here from at least 2009 to 2023 though could be longer. Unclear on its exact location as it likely doesn’t require a huge amount of infrastructure.

 

Town/Region/Country:

Ngalula, Fizi region of South Kivu province, DRC

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Individual Incident Locations:

On a road from a site near the Kimbi river in the Fizi Region of South Kivu province, DRC.

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Potential location 1

28° 48' 52,6" E , 4° 57' 56,9" S

Village of  Ngalula, Fizi region of South Kivu province, DRC. An artisanal gold panning mine existed here from at least 2009 to 2023 though could be longer. Unclear on its exact location as it likely doesn’t require a huge amount of infrastructure.

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Case Location Evidence Below:

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Village of Ngalula, Fizi region of South Kivu province with possible gold panning rivers to the north. Village is unsearchable via Google Earth Pro but listed as an artisanal mining site on the IPIS artisanal mining interactive map but other than the village no further locational details are given.

https://ipisresearch.be/publication/mining-and-conflict-in-the-eastern-drc-an-interactive-story-map/

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Two photos from the AFP X account from a post discussing the attack. Unclear whether this is the exact location of the attack. There is no street view data for this region. Alexis Huguet is a photographer working in the DRC capturing images of human rights injustices, so likely these photos was taken in the DRC.

https://x.com/AFP/status/1697951254876667917/photo/1

 

There was a landslide at a gold quarry in the same village, Ngalula on 14/05/21. A news article discussing the event quotes New Civil Society coordinator Justin Wakati who says that there is a gold quarry there called Bikuma. It is not clear if this is the same quarry.

https://copperbeltkatangamining.com/landslide-in-a-gold-quarry-kills-one-and-two-injured-in-ngalula-fizi-south-kivu-drc/

Casualties

Total Suspected/Known Number of Casualties:

07

 

Injured:

03

 

Fatalities in Incident:

04

 

Fatalities in Grave:

unknown

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Further Casualty Information:

Age Range: not given, likely working age

Genders: Male

Ethnicity/ies: Chinese, Ghanian and Congolese

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Casualty Evidence Below:

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Suspected or Known Aggressors

Group/Tribe/Militia/Organisation:

unknown (local armed militia)

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Suspected/Known Quantity of Participants:

unknown​

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Aggressor Evidence Below:

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