DRC residents sue Chinese mining company over alleged pollution in Kolwezi

Résumé détaillé

Twenty-seven residents of Kolwezi, a major copper and cobalt mining hub in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have taken Chinese-controlled mining company COMMUS to court,…

Twenty-seven residents of Kolwezi, a major copper and cobalt mining hub in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have taken Chinese-controlled mining company COMMUS to court, accusing it of polluting their water, air and soil and putting their health and livelihoods at risk.

The lawsuit against Compagnie Minière de Musonoie Global (COMMUS), controlled by Chinese mining giant Zijin Mining, was announced in a Nov. 3 statement by human rights organizations Afrewatch and RAID, which are supporting the plaintiffs.

The case raises questions about the environmental and human costs of industrial mining in the DRC, one of the world’s leading producers of copper and cobalt, minerals essential to technologies used in the global energy transition.

For residents living near COMMUS’s operations, the dispute is about more immediate concerns: access to clean water, deteriorating health and the loss of livelihoods that once depended on local waterways.

“COMMUS found us living here. Before, we lived well,” said one resident, who was quoted anonymously in the statement.

“We used to fish, vegetables grew naturally along the stream, and we used its water for cooking and washing. But COMMUS polluted our stream, blocked it and diverted its course,” the resident said.

The resident alleged that fish had disappeared from the stream, that the water now caused skin problems and that exposure to the surrounding air produced facial irritation. “We asked the authorities to come and see what was happening, but we never received any help,” the resident said.

The first hearing took place Nov. 3 before the Commercial Court of Kolwezi. Eight children are among the 27 plaintiffs.

The lawsuit also names the Congolese government and the Congolese Environment Agency (known by its French acronym ACE), which the residents accuse of failing to adequately monitor the mine and enforce environmental regulations.

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