A trucker strike in the Democratic Republic of Congo is blocking exports of copper and cobalt mined by producers including Glencore and China’s CMOC Group, according to people familiar with the matter.
The drivers have refused to transport the metals, which are key to the global green-energy transition, from the mining hub of Kolwezi since last week, the people said. They are demanding an additional $700 per journey as danger pay, according to one of the people.
The Central African country is the world’s largest cobalt producer and one of the biggest sources of copper. Almost all the material is trucked by road from south-eastern Congo to Zambia, destined for ports in South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique.
The strike by drivers who are mainly from Zambia and Tanzania is impacting shipments from major mines operated by companies such as Glencore, CMOC and Ivanhoe Mines, the people said.
Spokespeople for Glencore and Ivanhoe declined to comment. CMOC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.
