Lualaba Governor Announces Govt Commission Following Suspension of Artisanal Mining
DRC Mining Reform: Lualaba Governor Confirms Support Measures After Suspension of Artisanal Mining Activities
Following the decision by the national Minister of Mines to temporarily suspend artisanal mining activities across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Governor of Lualaba Province, Fifi Masuka Saini, has announced the imminent arrival of a special commission established by the central government to oversee and implement support measures linked to this decision.
The announcement was made during a high-level working session chaired by the governor on Saturday, December 27, 2025, which brought together senior officials from state mining services and security agencies.
In a statement to the press, the provincial authority sought to reassure stakeholders and the public, calling for calm, discipline, and a sense of responsibility.
Governor Fifi Masuka emphasized that the suspension forms part of a broader process aimed at regulating and reorganizing the artisanal mining sector.
“We have just completed a tour of the province to ensure order and continuity of activities. A government commission will be arriving shortly. In the meantime, we ask all operators who have mineral transport trucks to take them to approved processing plants,” she stated.
She further underscored the role of technical and security services in ensuring the strict enforcement of the ministerial decree.
“I call on all the services present here today, including the Ministry of the Interior and the Provincial Security Committee, to ensure that all accompanying measures of this decree are rigorously applied. I urge the Mines Division, SAEMAPE, the CEC, and anti-fraud services to fully support the implementation of these measures,” the governor added.
According to the Lualaba provincial government, several support mechanisms have been introduced to mitigate the impact of the suspension on artisanal miners.
These include the immediate release of trucks transporting minerals to authorized processing facilities, subject to approval by the Minister of Mines, Louis Watum Kabamba; the mobilization of technical and anti-fraud services; and reinforced security measures to maintain public order.
The objective of these measures, the province explained, is “to prepare, in an orderly manner and particularly in the interest of artisanal miners, the gradual resumption of activities within a legal and secure framework, in line with the directives of President Félix Tshisekedi.”
Governor Fifi Masuka also reaffirmed her provincial government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders. She stressed that the Lualaba executive will continue to promote the interests of the Congolese State, artisanal miners, and industrial mining operators, while firmly combating any form of manipulation or disorder.
Participants in this strategic meeting included representatives from the Provincial Division of Mines, SAEMAPE, the Provincial Directorate for the Fight Against Fraud and Criminality, as well as senior security officials, notably Brigadier General Eddy Kapend, Commander of the 22nd Military Region.
As a reminder, the national Minister of Mines recently issued a firm decision temporarily and preventively suspending the activities of all entities involved in the processing of mineral substances derived from artisanal mining in the copper-cobalt value chain across the entire territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This measure aims, among other objectives, to put an end to the encroachment of industrial mining concessions by artisanal miners.
