In the Democratic Republic of Congo, starting from Kisangani, it takes several days to reach the Bavadili mining centre in the Tshopo region in the heart of the Equatorial forest. Tracks and paths strewn with tall grass, bamboo, palm groves, abandoned rubber tree plantations, swamps, rivers, streams with wooden bridges, pygmy villages and intermittently a long line of vehicles blocked by another mired vehicle for several days, are part of the long journey to reach the camp of artisanal miners who, every day, disseminate men in rubber boots into the bush. Here children shout “ Chinese, Chinese ” when a very rare stranger passes. Further on Chinese companies are installed. They also extract gold but in other proportions and according to more or less vague rules. Here the land is worked with a pickaxe, shovel, bar and sweat. Sometimes a small generator powers a pump to help drain stagnated water. Often barefoot in the mud, artisanal diggers called “bouloneurs” (from the French “boulot”, meaning “hard work”) use wooden washing ramps with carpet to collect gold powder. At nightfall, one can come across 13 or 14-year-old boys selling the fruit of their hard work. The main sectors buying this gold are electronics, jewellery or aeronautics. The diggers know nothing about the route the gold will take after the hinterland counters in Isiro or Bunia. It is said that 98% of the artisanal gold produced in the D.R.Congo is exported illegally. In recent months the gold rate has continued to rise, partly because it acts as a safe investment when there are many international tensions. The EU regulation on responsible supply of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) from conflict-affected areas will come into force in 2021. However, the first implementing measures currently under discussion by Member States risk diluting the effectiveness of the regulation by hiding the list of companies subject to it.