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An earthquake in Goma, a city in Democratic Republic of Congo near the border with Rwanda, is delaying exports of tin ore from mineral-rich North Kivu province, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters on Wednesday.
This is likely to exacerbate shortages of the soldering metal, prices of which last week touched 10-year highs at $30,650 a tonne.
The sources said tin ore producers have been unable to obtain the permits they need to export the material because government offices in Goma, North Kivu’s capital city, are shut due to the earthquake, which destroyed several buildings on Tuesday.
They declined to say how much tin is delayed.
Measured at 5.3 magnitude by the Rwandan Seismic Monitor, Tuesday’s earthquake was the largest of more than 100 tremors that have followed the eruption on Saturday of Mount Nyiragongo volcano just north of Goma.
More than 20,000 people are homeless and 40 still missing in the aftermath of the eruption.
North Kivu exported 8,281 tonnes of tin ore in 2019, the provincial mines division’s latest statistics show. The vast majority of that came from Alphamin Resources’ Bisie mine near Walikale, 230 km (142 miles) west of Goma.
In a statement, Alphamin, which produced 10,319 tonnes of tin in 2020, said: “Some disruption of government services relating to export documentation has occurred and, assuming no further volcanic eruptions, these services are expected to return to normal in the first week of June.”
Alphamin exports its tin via Beni over the border to Uganda, and ultimately to Kenya’s port of Mombasa, from where it is shipped.
The seismic activity around Goma following Saturday’s eruption has raised concerns Nyiragongo may erupt again. Goma-based volcanologist Dario Tedesco said on Monday he feared the tremors could open another fracture.
(By Pratima Desai, Helen Reid and Zandi Shabalala; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair Bell)
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