Goal
To improve the safety of artisanal mining communities living near industrial mines in the Lobito corridor in southern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Context
In the Haut Katanga and Lualaba provinces of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), tensions between artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and large-scale mining (LSM) actors are intensifying due to a lack of viable areas designated for Artisanal Mining Zones. These zones, provided for in the 2018 Mining Code, promote the formalization of the ASM sector. However, in the region they are allocated sparingly and are often unusable, fueling frustration and protests. As a result, artisanal miners often occupy industrial concessions, which cover vast areas (beyond the mining sites themselves) and are located on the most promising deposits.
These occupations are considered illegal and regularly lead to violent confrontations between artisanal miners and security forces, jeopardizing community safety and the mining companies’ ability to operate. Cooperatives, government agencies, civil society, and industry stakeholders face various challenges in managing these tensions peacefully and constructively.
Conflict analyses conducted in the ASM sector show that tensions related to access to mining areas and coexistence with industrial mining generate insecurity that disproportionately affects women and young people. Women involved in ASM are especially vulnerable during site evacuations or security operations. Young women and men, who constitute a significant portion of the artisanal workforce, are especially vulnerable to violent confrontations and the abrupt loss of livelihoods.
These dynamics undermine social cohesion, fuel local conflicts, and jeopardize the stability and security of mining communities along the Lobito corridor.
What We Are Doing
The project aims to promote peaceful coexistence between the ASM sector and LSM actors in southern Democratic Republic of Congo’s, contributing to stability in the Lobito corridor. The project will strengthen the capacity of ASM supply chain actors, while improving multi-stakeholder dialogue, and understanding of the Congolese legal framework to strengthen security and safety of artisanal mining communities in the region.
The project is based on an integrated, three-pronged approach: strengthening the legitimacy, governance and representation of ASM cooperatives in order to improve their capacity for dialogue with LSM actors, improving participation of key stakeholders in managing access to authorized artisanal mining areas, and revitalising multi-stakeholder dialogue to promote advocacy for conflict reduction and the effective implementation of coexistence.
These levers aim to improve mutual understanding of rights and obligations of the different actors, reduce tensions related to access to mining areas, promote responsible practices in line with national and international standards, and facilitate the emergence of sustainable solutions. Ultimately, they contribute to the development of a framework for peaceful and sustainable coexistence between ASM and LSM actors, strengthening the stability, security and well-being of mining communities in the Lobito corridor, in the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba.
The project will:
Strengthen ASM cooperative governance, legitimacy, and inclusivity
- Train target cooperatives to address identified needs including governance, financial management, and negotiation, and the implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance
- Establish ASM-LSM dialogue mechanisms
- Build capacity for ASM-LSM actors on relevant international standards
- Lead reciprocal visits and knowledge exchanges for ASM-LSM actors
Improve stakeholder ASM-LSM coexistence under DRC’s Mining Code
- Study the application of Article 30(e) of the DRC’s Mining Code to analyze the conditions, opportunities, and limitations of coexistence between artisanal and industrial mining
- Develop a consensus-based roadmap on operational solutions to ASM-LSM coexistence through a participatory approach
- Develop and disseminate documentation to strengthen the understanding and application of Article 30(e)
- Assess Article 30(e) operationalization and development of recommendations to promote more effective coexistence through a participatory approach
Revitalize multi-stakeholder dialogue to reduce conflict and promote coexistence
- Create or strengthen a multi-stakeholder framework for managing mining conflicts
- Support civil society initiatives to conduct advocacy at local and national levels on ASM-LSM coexistence
- Train civil society on strategic communications, conflict management, mediation, and advocacy
- Support civil society actors to participate to international and national forums for advocacy purposes
