Congolese security forces evicted illegal miners from a copper and cobalt mine run by Glencore on Thursday and then dispersed them when they protested outside the governor's office, local activists said.

The move by the police and army came one week after a landslide at the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) concession, majority-owned by a Glencore subsidiary, killed 43 people, prompting a government pledge to remove the miners.

Glencore said in a statement that the Democratic Republic of Congo's army had been deployed to an area around KCC. It said the company had insisted soldiers exercise restraint and respect human rights.

Earlier this week, the miners defied a deadline from the army to leave the mine. Activists said they feared the standoff would lead to violent clashes and human rights abuses.

Emmanuel Umpula, the director of the watchdog group African Resources Watch, said that after being evicted, some of the miners protested outside the governor's office in the city of Kolwezi to demand a new concession to exploit and were dispersed by security forces.

Mike Lameki, a human rights activist in Kolwezi, said the miners marched on the governor's office around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT). After being dispersed, they headed to the neighbourhood of Kasulo.

"On the way, they met up with friends who had come from other parts of town," he said. "Then they started pillaging."

Photos shared by Lameki from one store showed shattered glass and supermarket items strewn across the floor.

Umpula and Lameki both said the security forces had opened fire to disperse the protesters, but it was unclear if they had fired live rounds or rubber bullets.

Army and government officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Dangerous condition

Rights activists have criticised the planned expulsion, saying it would do nothing to address underlying factors, such as poverty and unemployment, that push people to brave dangerous conditions in mines.

Glencore estimates about 2,000 illegal miners enter KCC every day.

Last week, the army evicted thousands of miners from China Molybdenum's nearby Tenke Fungurume mine.

General John Numbi, who led the operation, said the soldiers did not fire a single shot. African Resources Watch said they did and cited local villagers as saying three people died from gunshot wounds.

Last Thursday's accident at KCC briefly sent Glencore's shares tumbling 7%, underscoring foreign investors' exposure to illegal mining activity on their properties.

The government of Lualaba province estimates that 170,000 informal miners operate in the province. They burrow deep underground with rudimentary tools, leading to frequent accidents.

Congo produces more than half the world's cobalt, a key component in an electric car and other electronic batteries, but is one of the world's least developed countries, afflicted by corruption and conflict.

Congolese security forces evicted illegal miners from a copper and cobalt mine run by Glencore on Thursday and then dispersed them when they protested outside the governor's office, local activists said.

Congolese security forces evicted illegal miners from a copper and cobalt mine run by Glencore on Thursday and then dispersed them when they protested outside the governor's office, local activists said. The move by the police and army came one week after a landslide at the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) concession, majority-owned by a Glencore subsidiary, killed 43 people, prompting a government pledge to remove the miners. Glencore said in a statement that the Democratic Republic of Congo's army had been deployed to an area around KCC. It said the company had insisted soldiers exercise restraint and respect human rights. Earlier this week, the miners defied a deadline from the army to leave the mine. Activists said they feared the standoff would lead to violent clashes and human rights abuses. Emmanuel Umpula, the director of the watchdog group African Resources Watch, said that after being evicted, some of the miners protested outside the governor's office in the city of Kolwezi to demand a new concession to exploit and were dispersed by security forces. Mike Lameki, a human rights activist in Kolwezi, said the miners marched on the governor's office around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT). After being dispersed, they headed to the neighbourhood of Kasulo. "On the way, they met up with friends who had come from other parts of town," he said. "Then they started pillaging." Photos shared by Lameki from one store showed shattered glass and supermarket items strewn across the floor. Umpula and Lameki both said the security forces had opened fire to disperse the protesters, but it was unclear if they had fired live rounds or rubber bullets. Army and government officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Dangerous condition Rights activists have criticised the planned expulsion, saying it would do nothing to address underlying factors, such as poverty and unemployment, that push people to brave dangerous conditions in mines. Glencore estimates about 2,000 illegal miners enter KCC every day. Last week, the army evicted thousands of miners from China Molybdenum's nearby Tenke Fungurume mine. General John Numbi, who led the operation, said the soldiers did not fire a single shot. African Resources Watch said they did and cited local villagers as saying three people died from gunshot wounds. Last Thursday's accident at KCC briefly sent Glencore's shares tumbling 7%, underscoring foreign investors' exposure to illegal mining activity on their properties. The government of Lualaba province estimates that 170,000 informal miners operate in the province. They burrow deep underground with rudimentary tools, leading to frequent accidents. Congo produces more than half the world's cobalt, a key component in an electric car and other electronic batteries, but is one of the world's least developed countries, afflicted by corruption and conflict.

Congolese security forces evict illegal miners from Glencore project

A five-year-old boy who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official told AFP Wednesday as two of his family members also tested positive for the virus after a visit to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

The World Health Organisation confirmed on Twitter that Uganda has now recorded three cases of Ebola, in the first spread across the country's porous western border with the DRC where more than 2,000 cases of the highly contagious virus have been registered.

Uganda's health ministry said on Tuesday that a woman of Congolese origin, who is married to a Ugandan, had gone with her child and four other family members to take care of her father in the DRC, who later died of Ebola.

"The boy who tested positive for Ebola in Kasese yesterday passed on last night in the isolation unit," a health ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The minister for health (Ruth Aceng) will be briefing the country about the death of the boy and arrangements to bury the body."

The official said the child was likely to be buried Wednesday.

DRC Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said the family were placed in isolation after being identified as in contact with an Ebola patient.

"During the isolation, some family members crossed into Uganda. As soon as they crossed, we contacted the Ugandan authorities," he told AFP in an interview Wednesday.

Uganda's health ministry said the family members had been identified and were placed in isolation in Bwera, a town near the border with DRC.&nbsp;

"Two more samples were sent to UVRI (Uganda Virus Research Institute) and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of Ebola in Uganda," the WHO Uganda posted on its Twitter account, citing a briefing from Ugandan Health Minister Ruth Aceng in Kasese in the country's west.

Eight other people in contact with the family had been tracked down and were being monitored, the health ministry said.

High alert

East Africa has been on high alert since the outbreak in the eastern DRC.

According to the WHO, Uganda vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers in 165 facilities with an experimental drug designed to protect them against the virus.

South Sudan has also declared a state of alert and vaccinated health workers.

Uganda has experienced several outbreaks in the past, most recently in 2012, while in 2000 more than 200 people died in an outbreak in the north of the country.&nbsp;

The Red Cross said it was scaling up efforts to contain the spread of the virus since it was detected in Uganda.

"This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now," Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;

The DRC has struggled to contain the outbreak which was first recorded in North Kivu province and then spread to neighbouring Ituri and has left over 1,300 dead.

Efforts to tackle the crisis have been hampered both by militia attacks on treatment centres and by the hostility of some local people to the medical teams.

Five workers have been killed, according to an AFP tally, and important preventative work, such as vaccination programmes and burials of Ebola victims, has been delayed.

The outbreak is the 10th in Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was identified in 1976.

It is the worst on record after an epidemic that struck Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2014-2016, leaving more than 11,300 people dead.

Ebola is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads among humans through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.

A five-year-old boy who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official told AFP Wednesday as two of his family members also tested positive for the virus after a visit to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

A five-year-old boy who tested positive for Ebola in Uganda has died, a health ministry official told AFP Wednesday as two of his family members also tested positive for the virus after a visit to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organisation confirmed on Twitter that Uganda has now recorded three cases of Ebola, in the first spread across the country's porous western border with the DRC where more than 2,000 cases of the highly contagious virus have been registered. Uganda's health ministry said on Tuesday that a woman of Congolese origin, who is married to a Ugandan, had gone with her child and four other family members to take care of her father in the DRC, who later died of Ebola. "The boy who tested positive for Ebola in Kasese yesterday passed on last night in the isolation unit," a health ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "The minister for health (Ruth Aceng) will be briefing the country about the death of the boy and arrangements to bury the body." The official said the child was likely to be buried Wednesday. DRC Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said the family were placed in isolation after being identified as in contact with an Ebola patient. "During the isolation, some family members crossed into Uganda. As soon as they crossed, we contacted the Ugandan authorities," he told AFP in an interview Wednesday. Uganda's health ministry said the family members had been identified and were placed in isolation in Bwera, a town near the border with DRC. "Two more samples were sent to UVRI (Uganda Virus Research Institute) and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of Ebola in Uganda," the WHO Uganda posted on its Twitter account, citing a briefing from Ugandan Health Minister Ruth Aceng in Kasese in the country's west. Eight other people in contact with the family had been tracked down and were being monitored, the health ministry said. High alert East Africa has been on high alert since the outbreak in the eastern DRC. According to the WHO, Uganda vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers in 165 facilities with an experimental drug designed to protect them against the virus. South Sudan has also declared a state of alert and vaccinated health workers. Uganda has experienced several outbreaks in the past, most recently in 2012, while in 2000 more than 200 people died in an outbreak in the north of the country. The Red Cross said it was scaling up efforts to contain the spread of the virus since it was detected in Uganda. "This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now," Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, said in a statement Wednesday. The DRC has struggled to contain the outbreak which was first recorded in North Kivu province and then spread to neighbouring Ituri and has left over 1,300 dead. Efforts to tackle the crisis have been hampered both by militia attacks on treatment centres and by the hostility of some local people to the medical teams. Five workers have been killed, according to an AFP tally, and important preventative work, such as vaccination programmes and burials of Ebola victims, has been delayed. The outbreak is the 10th in Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was identified in 1976. It is the worst on record after an epidemic that struck Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone between 2014-2016, leaving more than 11,300 people dead. Ebola is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads among humans through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.

Five year old boy dies from Ebola in Uganda; two more cases detected

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Congolese security forces evict illegal miners from Glencore project

Five year old boy dies from Ebola in Uganda; two more cases detected