Exports of tin concentrates from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been restricted since 9 July as a result of a strike by customs officials.
The strike has closed customs offices on the border between North Kivu Province and Rwanda, Gilbert Samine, North Kivu director for the Center of Expertise, Evaluation and Certification told Bloomberg News. The province accounts for around three quarters of Congo’s tin production. “There is no movement,” Samine said. “The customs workers are at home.”
Union officials are due to continue negotiations over unpaid wages with the Finance Minister today. Tin production in DR Congo is some 7,000 – 8,000 tpy, and exports have been already been disrupted several times this year as government controls on shipments have been tightened.