Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

by Siddharth Kara

Several artisanal miners I interviewed confirmed Phelix’s statement that many of the diggers at Tilwezembe were not registered with either CMKK or COMIKU even though they worked at the mine, and that their bosses sold the ore they excavated to the cooperatives. They also confirmed the presence of SAEMAPE officials, and they stated that there were between one and two thousand children digging at Tilwezembe on any given day. They reported that children were typically paid roughly two dollars a day regardless of production and that they received little to no assistance when they suffered injuries. The diggers at Tilwezembe described hazardous conditions and harsh reprisals if they did not obey their bosses. Some were locked inside a shipping container called a cachot (“dungeon”) without food or water for up to two days.