DR Congo Conflict Forces Halt At World's 3rd Biggest Tin Mine

Advancing anti-government fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo forced the temporary closure of the world's third most productive tin mine, its operator said in a statement received by AFP Friday

Goma, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2025) Advancing anti-government fighters in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo forced the temporary closure of the world's third most productive tin mine, its operator said in a statement received by AFP Friday.

Alphamin Resources said it has made "the difficult decision to temporarily cease mining operations at the Company's Bisie tin mine in Walikale District, North Kivu Province after insurgent militant groups have recently advanced westward in the direction of the mine's location", it said in a statement.

"The safety of the Company's employees and contractors remains its top priority and cannot be assured at the present time," the US-owned company added.

"All operational mining personnel are being evacuated from the mine site with only essential personnel to remain for the care, maintenance and security of the property.

"

Bisie is the third-biggest tin mine in the world in terms of production, with 17,300 tonnes extracted there in 2024 -- around six percent of global output -- according to the International Tin Association.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the DRC produced 25,000 tonnes of tin ore in 2024, about 8.3 percent of the approximately 300,000 tonnes produced globally.

Tin is mainly used to solder electronic components onto printed circuit boards and the boom in the electronics and renewable energy sectors is fuelling growing demand, according to analysts.

In recent months, the M23 armed group has waged a lightning offensive in the mineral-rich eastern DRC, pushing the Congolese army out of much of North and South Kivu provinces and raising fears of a wider regional war.