Haut-Katanga: armed soldiers illegally occupy MMG Kinsevere mining sites-DRC
Mining sites belonging to MMG Kinsevere in the province of Haut-Katanga are illegally occupied by soldiers from the 22nd military region of the FARDC. More precisely, two mining sites, namely the site of Sokoroshe 2 (PE 538) and that of Nambulwa (PE 539) are experiencing an illicit occupation by armed forces brandishing a mission order from the Commander of the 22nd military region of the FARDC.
This situation has persisted since July 2022 without the competent authorities being able to put an end to this occupation which prevents the owner company from carrying out its activities normally. However, MMG Kinsevere denounced this situation before all the institutions of the Republic. Alas, without success so far.
From the Ministry of Mines to the Presidency of the Republic, via the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Defence, the Military Prosecutor’s Office, the Provincial Governorate of Haut-Katanga, all have already been kept informed of this abnormal presence of the Congolese armed forces in private property acquired in good and due form.
It should be noted that these mining sites were acquired by MMG Kinsevere following farm-out agreements signed with Gécamines (Générales desquarries et des mines) and which are still valid to this day.
Faced with the persistence of this military presence in private mining sites, a certain number of questions should be asked. Who are really behind this military occupation of a mining site belonging to a private economic operator holding all the legal operating permits? How to understand that a private economic operator denounces an illegal occupation of his property by soldiers without the competent authorities being able to take up this file? Wouldn’t the ultimate objective of this illegal occupation of these mining plots be to illegally disappropriate MMG Kinsevere? Why do we seem to tolerate this military banditry in mining squares?
The occupation of the mining sites of MMG Kinsere in Haut-Katanga resonates like an undermining blow against the policy of the Head of State Félix Tshisekedi who is keen to improve the business climate in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Moreover, aware of the need to improve the business climate in the country, the Head of State has just created a Business Climate Observatory, housed at the Presidency of the Republic, to hoist the DRC among the countries the most attractive foreign investment.
Suffice to say that those who are behind the occupation of MMG Kinsevere mining sites are fighting the policy of the President of the Republic who is working to create a climate conducive to business in the DRC.
With a view to denouncing this military forfeiture, a team of investigative journalists intends to descend on these mining sites in the coming days to observe the facts.
