Central govt,provincial administration in disagreement over suspension of Mining activities-DRC
While the Governor of South Kivu, Théo Ngwabodje, has banned the mining activities of certain Chinese companies in Mwenga in the province of South Kivu, the National Minister of Mines, Antoinette N’samba, opposes the Chief’s decision. of the provincial executive of South Kivu.
To this end, Antoinette N’Samba seized the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, Security, Decentralization and Customary Affairs, Daniel Aselo, about the suspension of the activities of the predominantly Chinese mining companies in the territory of Mwenga. (South Kivu) by Governor Théo Kasivita.
The Minister of Mines thus asks her colleague from the Interior to instruct the Governor of South Kivu so that he reports his decree.
For the Minister of Mines, “ this measure violates the provisions of Article 11 of Law No. 007/2002 of July 11, 2002 as amended and supplemented by Law No. 18/001 of March 9, 2018 on the powers of Provincial governor in the administration of the mining code ”.
For Antoinette N’Samba, the power to suspend mining companies rests with the Minister of Mines, in accordance with the provisions of the above-mentioned order in article 10.
” In order to allow the inspectors of my ministry to do their work and to make the report for useful provisions on the criticized information, I ask you to instruct the Governor to revoke his decision “, one can read in the correspondence of the Minister of Mines dated August 24, 2021.
The decree of the Governor of the Province orders that “ all the local and foreign personnel ” of these pinned companies must immediately leave the mining sites.
Their operating equipment will remain immobilized until an ad hoc committee has studied the files on a ” case by case ” basis.
As a reminder, on August 20, 2021, the Governor of South Kivu issued an order suspending the activities of 6 Chinese mining companies and three partner cooperatives for ” illegal exploitation of minerals in the territory of Mwenga” .
He then set up a Commission to study cases on a case-by-case basis.
This decision by the Governor came at the end of the 72-hour moratorium granted to these companies to present the mining permits allowing them to work in the DRC.
At the base of this decision, the denunciations of civil society and local organizations that accuse these gold miners not only of the illegal exploitation of minerals but also of the use of chemicals that destroy the ecosystem.
