THE Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) largest coltan miner, Société Minière de Bisunzu (SMB), has resumed purchases of ore after a three month shutdown at one of the country’s largest deposits, said Bloomberg News in an article republished by BusinessLive.
Coltan is the substance from which tantalum is extracted. Tantalum is used in the manufacture of Apple iPhones and other smartphones as well as armaments and aviation components, the newswire said.
Output restarted at SMB’s mining permit, comprising seven sites at Rubaya in eastern DRC, on August 14 and the company began buying the minerals extracted by artisanal diggers on Tuesday, said Bloomberg News which cited Freddy Nzonga, the company’s director of traceability.
Production had been halted in May following allegations of smuggling and attacks by miners against SMB officials.
