Alphamin Accused of Illegal Mining Expansion in North Kivu’s Utunda Region
Youth in North Kivu Accuse Alphamin of Unauthorized Mining in Utunda Territory
Youth leaders from the Utunda group in Walikale territory, North Kivu, have raised serious concerns over alleged unauthorized mining operations by Alphamin Bisie Mining.
According to a formal complaint sent to the Minister of Mines, the company is accused of extracting minerals outside its officially designated area for the past two years.
The youth committee claims that Alphamin has been operating in the hills of Angoa, Kabombo, Bunjanga, and Buntu—all located within the Utunda group’s jurisdiction—without consultation or approval from local authorities.
The company’s legal mining zone is said to be located in the neighboring Wassa group, not Utunda.
The letter further asserts that local chiefs, including the head of the Utunda group and other community leaders, were never informed or consulted prior to Alphamin’s expansion into these areas.
The youth committee insists that no mining activity should proceed in Utunda without a formal agreement that defines the terms of exploitation and how profits will be shared with the local population.
They emphasize that such an agreement is a non-negotiable prerequisite for any future operations.
The situation highlights ongoing tensions between mining companies and local communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where disputes over land rights, profit sharing, and community involvement remain common in resource-rich regions.
