DR Congo’s mining boom puts community forests at risk Likasi, DR Congo

In southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the race for strategic minerals is tightening its grip on community forests, leaving local residents fearful for their land, livelihoods, and environment.

In Lukutwe, a village in Haut-Katanga province, community members say mining expansion is increasingly encroaching on protected forest concessions legally managed by local people. As Chinese, American, and other foreign companies seek copper and cobalt vital for the global energy transition, villagers say access to their own land is being restricted.

Valérie Kyembo, president of the Lukutwe community forest concession, points to a road cutting through the forest. He says mining operators have installed barriers, preventing residents from passing freely and monitoring their own concession.

Forest rangers say pressure is mounting. Corneille Makonga recalls how a powerful individual arrived with heavy machinery, claiming to have purchased the community’s forest despite villagers holding official documents. He says the attempt amounted to a land grab.

Beyond access, residents warn of environmental damage. Véronique Sebente, a member of the community forest committee, says mining waste released into the Lwafi River during the dry season has killed fish and destroyed farmland. Once fertile tomato fields now produce rotten, insect-infested crops, making farming impossible.

As DR Congo’s mineral wealth fuels global demand, communities like Lukutwe say they are paying the price—caught between protecting their forests and the pressures of a booming mining industry.