Walikale Property (and Rutshuru, Lueshe, Masini) North Kivu - The Place for Cassiterite

Property Details
Shamika’s property at Walikale in the Province of North Kivu consists of 249 mining blocks, under 1 licence, which number is to be designated shortly, for a total area of 216 km2.

Infrastructures

Walikale is one of the most important crossroads of the eastern part of DRC. The region lies on the road to Kisangani, Goma and Bukavu. There are also a number of infrastructure projects underway in the area.


General Description

Walikale is situated in North Kivu, in the heart of the Kibara Belt, where there are many important deposits of cassiterite, tantalite, pyrochlore and other associated minerals. Most of the cassiterite production in North Kivu comes from the Walikale territory, the westernmost part of the province. The cassiterite found in the Walikale territory is very well known. In Goma, it is referred to as “Main Rouge”, because of its high iron content - as much as 25% - that gives it a red colour. The tin oxide content is approximately 60%, that is to say a pure tin content of 45-55%. Walikale is also known to hold columbo-tantalite of the highest quality of all North Kivu. Generally, columbo-tantalite is most often found in the more remote areas, sometimes deep in the rainforest.

Mining History

In 2003-2004, the territory of Walikale was at the centre of the cassiterite boom, which followed the columbo-tantalite boom of 2000-2001. Today, the international market demand for tin has greatly increased. The price of tin has soared from $8,500 / ton to over $17,000 / per ton in just a few years. Walikale’s mining activities, which used to be controlled by SOMINKI (Société Minière du Kivu), were interrupted in 1996, at the start of the war. However, as was the case in so many other mining areas of the cassiterite and columbo-tantalite belt of the DRC, mining operations were never totally stopped, since artisanal diggers took over the task very rapidly. The end of the war in 2003 has not yet brought any significant change in the way mining operations are conducted by individual diggers in this region.