* Landslide at KCC mine last week killed 43 people
* Activists fear standoff with army could lead to violence
* Evicted miners pillaged local stores - rights activist (Adds army comment, detail about arrests)By Aaron RossDAKAR, July 4 (Reuters) - Congolese security forces evictedthousands of illegal miners from a copper and cobalt mine run byGlencore on Thursday, sparking angry protests outsidethe governor's office and looting of shops, local activistssaid.
The move by the police and army came one week after alandslide at the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) concession,majority-owned by a Glencore subsidiary, killed 43 people,prompting a government pledge to swiftly remove the miners. Glencore said in a statement that Democratic Republic ofCongo's army had been deployed to an area around KCC. It saidthe company had insisted soldiers exercise restraint and respecthuman rights.Speaking to reporters in the southeastern city of Kolwezi,where KCC is located, General Philemon Yav said the army'sintervention was required to defend Congo's economic interestsand support the police, who have at times been overwhelmed bythe thousands of illegal miners present in some mines."By all means, we are going to kick them out of ourstrategic mines so they don't harm our economy," Yav said.
The army said 20,000 miners were evicted from KCC. Glencoreestimates about 2,000 illegal miners enter the mine every day.
Earlier this week, the miners defied an army deadline toleave the mine. Activists said they feared the standoff wouldlead to violent clashes and human rights abuses. Emmanuel Umpula, the director of watchdog group AfricanResources Watch, and Mike Lameki, a civil society activist inKolwezi, said security forces opened fire to disperse theprotesters, who were demanding a new concession to exploit.
It was unclear whether they had fired live rounds or rubberbullets, or if there were any injuries. Lameki said about 20miners were arrested.
PILLAGINGAfter being dispersed from the governor's office in themorning, Lameki said, the miners headed to the neighbourhood ofKasulo.
"On the way, they met up with friends who had come fromother parts of town," he said. "Then they started pillaging."
Richard Muyej, the governor of Lualaba province whereKolwezi is located, promised to provide the miners alternativeconcessions, but they are sceptical that those areas will be bigenough or contain ore of high enough quality to support them.
Rights activists have criticised the expulsion, saying itdid not address factors such as poverty and unemployment, thatpush people to brave dangerous conditions in mines.
Last week, the army evicted thousands of miners from ChinaMolybdenum's nearby Tenke Fungurume mine.
General John Numbi, who led the operation, said the soldiersdid not fire a single shot. African Resources Watch said theydid and cited local villagers as saying three people died fromgunshot wounds.
Last Thursday's accident at KCC briefly sent Glencore'sshares tumbling 7%, underscoring foreign investors' exposure toillegal mining activity on their properties.
The Lualaba government estimates that 170,000 informalminers operate in the province. They burrow deep undergroundwith rudimentary tools, leading to frequent accidents. Congo produces more than half the world's cobalt, a keycomponent in electric car and other electronic batteries, but isone of the world's least developed countries, afflicted bycorruption and conflict.
(Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Janet Lawrence and EmeliaSithole-Matarise)