15, 000 to be displaced as Huge DR Congo gold mine sets to open

Friday July, 23, 2010

Mining in Africa’s largest undeveloped gold deposit in eastern DR Congo will begin soon, says Randgold Resources.

Though the mine requires the re-location of 15,000 people, Randgold insists that the project has the support of the government and the local community.

The Company says the mine is thought to have a reserve of about 320 tonnes of gold.

It is as big as any of the current mines in South Africa, one of the world's biggest gold producers.

Randgold, listed on the London Stock Exchange, says it will begin developing the mine from the middle of 2011.

The Kibali gold project is located in a remote corner of DR Congo, close to the Ugandan border.

To develop it, Randgold has had to build a 180km (112-mile) road eastwards to Uganda.

Randgold says it has won community support, despite the fact that 15,000 people will have to be moved, as well as a Catholic church and a cemetery.

Mr Bristow said the villagers lived in "very poor, poor conditions" and would be moved to a new village constructed by the company.