Dramatic images show the dark side of cobalt mining boom

These stark images tell a dark tale about the mining of cobalt, one of the most prized minerals of the modern technological age.

Taken near Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a major cobalt reserve, Pascal Maitre’s photos draw attention to the huge appetite for this metal. This is driven by its high stability and energy density, which make it suited for use in everything from lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles to superalloys. The demand has led to corporations setting up vast extraction operations in the region, displacing villages.

The main image shows villagers in Tshabula, about 10 kilometres from Kolwezi’s centre, searching for cobalt among the waste dumped on the embankments of one of the largest open-cast mines in the area. It is run by the state and the company COMMUS (a wider view of the mine can be seen in the below image). The complex is set for an expansion that will destroy much of the housing nearby.

But not all the mines in the region are official. Some have taken this lucrative practice into their own hands, digging deep tunnels. There are government schemes to regulate this trade and improve working conditions, but the 150,000-odd “artisanal” miners around Kolwezi receive little pay for their efforts.