The governor of Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province has ordered the suspension all mining activities in the restive region, giving all companies and operators 72 hours to leave mining sites, a statement said on Friday.
Governor Jean-Jacques Purusi Sadiki, said in the statement that the suspension until further notice, was due to "disorder caused by the mining operators."
"All companies, businesses and cooperatives are required to leave the sites and operating locations within seventy-two hours," the statement said.
Earlier this week the government and the M23 rebels agreed on 15-day extension of a humanitarian truce in neighbouring North Kivu province. It is set to last until 11:59 pm (2159 GMT) on August 3.
The M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, launched an offensive in the North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the end of 2021 and since then has seized large swathes of territory.
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