The province of Lualaba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has recently been rocked by violence during demonstrations against the illegal grabbing of certain mining sites by Lebanese operators. The artisanal diggers of the region have mobilized to claim their rights to exploit these deposits and to denounce the violence of the armed men, who try to chase them away.
Yet provincial authorities have been unable to ensure citizen safety and enforce ownership of mine sites. The representatives of the victims have addressed their complaints to the Palais de la Nation, and to the General Prosecutor’s Office in particular, but despite this, the spoliators continue to benefit from total impunity on the part of the military and civil authorities.
In the perimeter PE591, land granted to the mining company Swanmines, the spoliations have been going on for several months. The mining company has paid its surface rights and has legal mining rights. However, Lebanese operators continue to illegally exploit this land with impunity and threaten the safety of security guards.
In this context, questions arise: How can the Provincial Minister promise artisanal diggers and their operators the sharing and exploitation of the sites of the Swanmines company, holder of the PE591 perimeter? Why is a mining company, holder of mining rights, paying its surface rights, unable to receive an echo of its complaints for assistance from the competent provincial and national authorities?
The social crisis and the resulting violence show the need for urgent action by the authorities to end the anarchy in the mining sector and ensure the safety of citizens. Spoliations and violence can no longer be tolerated, and the whole republic must mobilize to put an end to these illegal practices and punish them within the framework of the law.