According to the Chinese embassy in the country, gunmen killed a police officer and kidnapped five Chinese nationals working at a gold mine in the DRC's conflict-plagued east on Sunday.

The incident occurred in the village of Mukera, in the province of South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's east.

The attack killed one police officer and injured another, according to Colonel David Epanga, the leader of the armed forces in Fizi.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the world's largest producer of mined cobalt, a critical component in electric car batteries, as well as one of Africa's top copper producers.

Chinese people living in the region were also warned to leave as quickly as possible, according to the Chinese embassy in the DRC.