Mumbai, March 9 -- After setting up mining operations in a Maoist conflict-prone region in India, Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd is betting it can replicate that success in the volatile Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The mining company is targeting copper production in a region long considered both resource-rich and operationally challenging, where regulatory uncertainty, weak infrastructure and political risks have complicated operations for global miners.

Managing director Rajesh Gupta said the Congo bet mirrors the company's early days in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli. "When we expanded our operations in Gadchiroli, the region was considered difficult and impossible," Gupta said during an earnings call in February. ...