Notes de l'Ifri - A Sino-Congolese Scandal. Illegal Exploitation of Minerals and Forests by Chinese Companies in South Kivu Notes de l'Ifri, February 2022
Since 2020, the exploitation of gold from mining sites in the Wamuzimu chiefdom in the South Kivu province by Chinese companies has aroused great discontent among the population.
This problem reveals the weaknesses and limitations of the mining administration, as well as the lack of enforcement of laws and regulations. This study analyzes the illegal gold mining practices of Chinese companies and the complicity they display, including in the military. These uncontrolled mining operations are accompanied by the militarization of mining sites, often resulting in violence against civilians. In recent years, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has committed to implementing administrative, social, and environmental certification processes for mining activities. However, the control of the mining sector by a predatory partnership between foreign interests and certain local and national elites makes any attempts to improve mining governance illusory. Despite the mobilization of local communities and the prohibition of Chinese mining companies’ activities in this area, they continue to mine.
This content is available in french: "Un scandale sino-congolais. L'exploitation illégale des minerais et des forêts par les entreprises chinoises au Sud Kivu" [1]