Women who had to leave their homes due to the revolting violence of rebels in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo started mining gold to support their families after they escaped the assaults of the groups that are in league with the Islamic State.
In April, Maman Soki, a 49-year-old widow, fled her village after the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces killed her daughter and sister during the attack.
Soki now along with two other women works at the Pangoyi gold mine where they carry 30-kilogram sacks of debris up the muddy slopes for a few dollars per day and thus she is able to feed her four children.
After the unfortunate incident that displaced her family from their home in the eastern part of Congo, she supports her son, grandson and her deceased sister’s two children.
The hard work of mining has become a departure from the traditional male-dominated works in the mineral-rich region of the Congo. According to RENAFEM, a national association that promotes the rights of female workers, women miners who are doing lower-paid jobs are exposed to discrimination and harassment by male colleagues.
Muhindo Obed, the 12-year-old son of Soki is responsible for the care of her three adopted siblings while she is at work. In general, women are not allowed to go directly into mining pits and have to carry the sand which has already been excavated for processing.
The Allied Democratic Forces is one of many armed groups that are operating in the area of eastern Congo where there are abundant minerals.
UN and local officials said that in July, Islamic State-supported rebels killed at least 43 worshippers at a church in Komanda while the attacks in Beni and Lubero areas in August led to the death of at least 52 civilians.
