DRC: Chinese gold companies in the sights of the authorities
Chinese companies mining gold in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are under heavy surveillance due to their illegal activities in South Kivu , a province rich in natural resources but hard hit by poverty. In Kitutu , where illegal gold mining is proliferating, Italian missionary Davide Marcheselli has been waging a fierce battle for several years against these companies, accused of polluting rivers, destroying plantations, and putting pressure on local communities.
Illegal operations protected by local support
According to local authorities, hundreds of foreign companies, mainly Chinese , are extracting gold without permits and without declaring their income. Civil society and some religious figures find themselves alone in the face of these powerful companies, which benefit from support within the Congolese authorities. Father Marcheselli denounces complicity from top to bottom of the ladder, stating that “from the national representative to the village chief, everyone receives money or dividends”, a practice that reinforces the impunity of these companies.
Suspension of activities and compliance requirements
Last July , provincial governor Jean-Jacques Purusi took action by temporarily suspending illegal activities to force companies to comply with legal requirements. The companies concerned must now draw up specifications, renovate infrastructure, and regularize their permits, some of which have been expired for several years. Since this decision, an unusual flow of business representatives has been flocking to the governor’s office. “Instead of the 117 illegal companies that we summoned, 540 showed up , overnight,” says Jean-Jacques Purusi, appointed to redirect mineral resources to the province’s prosperity.
A reform to fight poverty
For Jean-Jacques Purusi, a former UN expert and university professor, this action is a crucial step in making mining resources a lever for development in a province where 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. This regulatory movement is thus seen as a way to improve the living conditions of the Congolese, while regaining control of a strategic sector long dominated by illegal practices.
