China has human rights obligations based on the principles of Extrritorial Obligations, and Conog Governemnt should protect and repsect the ESCRs of its Citizens.  

Congo defends Chinese companies

Kinshasa - Congolese officials hit back at an Amnesty International report on the state of the country’s mines.

Congo’s Information Minister Lambert Mende said the report was “unfairly targeting Chinese mining companies.”

The report by the golbal NGO highlighted serious abuses by local and foreign mining companies and singled out Chinese companies.

The human rights organisation claimed the Chinese mining companies went as far as violating human rights.

In one case, 300 families were forcibly evicted from their homes in Luisha when a Chinese company was granted mining rights in the area.

The families were taken by truck to a new site and left there without food or shelter.

The exploitation of miners has been rife in the Katanga region.

Miners are frequently forced to work with bare hands and without protective clothing.

As a result, scores die or end up seriously injured every year.

However, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government has questioned why particular attention was paid to Chinese firms.

Mininster Mende said: “mining companies in Katanga are of 30 different nationalities, and none of them offer their employees and clients different conditions to the Chinese companies.”

The Chinese have played a key role in extracting important minerals in the DRC.

However, analysts have cautioned the risk that lies ahead if measures to protect workers are not taken.

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