BEIJING, 02 December 2021, (TON): China urged its citizens to leave three provinces in eastern Congo as violence intensifies in the mineral-rich region.

A posting from the Chinese Embassy in Kinshasa on the WeChat online messaging said “a number of Chinese citizens had been attacked and kidnapped over the past month in the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri, where several anti-government rebel groups have a presence.”

It said “Chinese residing in the three provinces should provide their personal details by Dec. 10 and make plans to leave for safer parts of Congo.

Those in the districts of Bunia, Djugu, Beni, Rutshuru, Fizi, Uvira and Mwenga should leave immediately, it said, adding that any who do not do so “will have to bear the consequences themselves.”

The embassy said “we ask that all Chinese citizens and Chinese-invested businesses in Congo please pay close attention to local conditions, increase their safety awareness and emergency preparedness, and avoid unnecessary outside travel.”

No details of the incidents were given, although the embassy last month reported five Chinese citizens were abducted from a mining operation in South Kivu, which borders Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania.