The province of Lualaba in the Democratic Republic of Congo experienced violent clashes between civilians and armed men, during demonstrations that took place from May 18 to 19, 2023, in Kisankala. If these demonstrations started after the hunting of artisanal diggers on certain mining sites, they can however be interpreted as a broader phenomenon. Indeed, many illegal actors in the region engage in illegal exploitation activities, using violence as a recourse to entrench their dominance.
Local communities have denounced this violence, without this making any real changes. In this context, the mining company Swanmines, holder of the exploitation license in certain mining areas of the region, testifies to these industrial spoliations organized by illegal foreign operators, who use armed men to attack the security guards and drive out the artisanal diggers.
The Swanmines company also denounces the complicity of the authorities, civil and military, of the region which seems to protect these illegal actors, and expresses its difficulties in obtaining an echo to its complaints concerning these practices. This situation can also be explained by the links of these actors with people claiming to be members of the presidential family.
Faced with this impunity, the victims and their communities are now calling for the intervention of justice to regulate this illegal exploitation of mineral resources. The situation is all the more worrying as illegal operators currently export more than 200 truckloads of minerals per day, without worrying the competent authorities.
This situation of social crisis and insecurity is not isolated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as it affects several regions of the country. Through the various articles published on our blog, we have been able to address many subjects relating to the social and political life of the DRC, in particular the fight against sexual violence, the vaccination campaign against poliomyelitis, as well as initiatives to fight against insecurity in different regions of the country.
It is now crucial to raise public awareness and highlight the economic and social issues related to illegal and unethical practices in this region, to promote regulatory actions and fight against impunity.