The Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich South Kivu province has suspended gold mining operations since July to curb hundreds of foreign companies, most of them Chinese-owned, from “illegal” extraction of the valuable metal without permits and without declaring their profits. “These companies mine at least 100 kilos of gold per month per company,” says governor of the province Jean-Jacques Purusi who has stopped operations until companies can comply with Congolese mining laws. “One kilo of gold on the world market costs between 65,000 and 80,000 US dollars per kilo,” He says. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES N°36KA9Z8