**Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a scourge for local youth**
In the heart of the Wamba territory, Haut-Uele province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local youth face degrading and inhumane treatment from soldiers responsible for guarding mining sites operated by Chinese companies. The voice of the president of the local youth council of the MMB sector, Don de Dieu Tanakay, stands up to denounce these recurring abuses and highlights the vulnerability of young people in the face of an implacable reality.
The most recent incident, involving a young boy violently whipped and forced to seek medical treatment after trying to work near a mining site abandoned by Chinese operators in the Kokoo group, reveals the extent of the violations suffered by an already precarious population. These young people, seen as an obstacle by the military in charge of monitoring them, are in reality only a community trying to survive in an environment undermined by exploitation and violence.
The Chinese exploiters, singled out by Don de Dieu Tanakay, are accused of draining the region’s natural resources without any benefit to the local population. Despite the establishment of a regulatory commission by the provincial authorities, the abuses persist, fueling a climate of tension and mistrust that risks inflaming the youth if no concrete action is taken.
The consequences of these harmful mining activities are not limited to physical violence. Cases of murder have also been recorded, as evidenced by the tragic affair that occurred last February at the Mambati mining site. Faced with impunity and limitless exploitation, local youth feel abandoned and isolated, forced to fight for their fundamental rights in a predatory and unjust system.
It is urgent for provincial authorities to take strict measures to put an end to these abuses and guarantee the protection of young workers. Effective regulation, respectful of human rights and the environment, must imperatively be put in place to put an end to this spiral of violence and exploitation. Congolese youth deserve a better future, far from the clutches of a mining industry that sacrifices its present for foreign economic interests.
Ultimately, the voice of Don de Dieu Tanakay and the youth of the MMB sector resonates as a call for justice and dignity for an oppressed population. It is time to shed light on these injustices and for concrete measures to be taken to put an end to the abusive exploitation of the resources of a country already scarred by decades of conflict and violence. Youth are the future of the DRC, it is our duty to protect them and offer them an environment where they can flourish and achieve their full potential.