Justicia Asbl Calls for Legal Action Against Illegal Mining by Foreign Nationals in DRC
In Haut-Katanga province, the human rights organization Justicia Asbl has urged legal action against immigrants, particularly Chinese and Lebanese nationals, involved in illegal mineral exploitation in Kambove, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This appeal was made in a press release issued in Kinshasa on Saturday.
Justicia Asbl praised provincial Minister of Mines and Environment, Lucien Lumano, for ordering a halt to industrial mining activities on an artisanal site and for arresting illegal immigrants involved in the operation.
The organization encouraged authorities to take legal measures to shut down illegal mining cooperatives and hold those responsible accountable.
The organization specifically recommended that the arrested Chinese and Lebanese individuals be prosecuted for illegal residency and unauthorized mineral exploitation.
Earlier in the week, Lumano had ordered the arrest of several immigrants who had converted an artisanal mining site in Kambove into an industrial site, working with Congolese collaborators in mining fraud. Among the detained were Lebanese nationals illegally residing in the DRC.
Maitre Timothée Mbuya, President of Justicia Asbl, lauded these actions, calling them courageous steps toward cleaning up the mineral value chain in the Katanga region.
Justicia Asbl further called for the formation of a commission, including civil society representatives, to investigate and identify illegal activities at industrial and cooperative mining sites.
The organization also condemned the transportation of illegal copper and cobalt ores by trucks from Kambove, questioning the oversight and involvement of authorities in this exploitation.
They raised concerns about the economic, social, and human rights impact of clandestine mining on the province and the country at large.
