Why is Africa seeing a rise in mining accidents and exploitation? | Inside Story

260 miners have been brought to the surface in South Africa after being stuck underground at a gold mine for 24 hours. Africa is at the centre of a rising demand for minerals and precious metals. Lithium is essential to the transition away from fossil fuels, used for batteries in electric vehicles and other clean energy technologies. But in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rights groups continue to denounce the dangerous working conditions of children in artisanal mines, particularly for cobalt. So, are the continent's critical minerals at a critical juncture? And what will be the impact of the global scramble for Africa's natural resources? Presenter: Tom McRae Guests: Claude Kabemba - Executive Director of Southern Africa Resource Watch. Christopher Vandome - Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House Africa Programme. Maurice Carney - Co-Founder and Executive Director, Friends of the Congo Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile #Africa #SouthAfrica #IllegalMining #MiningAccidents #GoldMining #GoldMine #MinerRescue #AfricanMinerals #Lithium #Cobalt #DRC #MiningSafety #CriticalMinerals #AfricaResourceRush #AfricaMiningRights