In March 2024, Mongabay published an investigation revealing serious allegations against a Canadian and South African-owned mining firm for acquiring mining rights without proper consultation with local communities, and partaking in illegal actions in Walikale, a conflict-ridden region of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mongabay’s reporting uncovered evidence of overlapping mining permits on lands held by the Twa Indigenous people in the villages of Banamwesi and Motondo. These areas are part of a community-managed forest concession and forestry initiative that are recognized by the government to protect land rights and biodiversity. Residents said they had not been consulted and were excluded from official maps, despite evidence that the mining operations had occupied their ancestral forests for years.
The report uncovered claims of land grabbing, illegal permitting, and failure to consult Indigenous Twa communities, despite Congolese law requiring such engagement.
With war devastating eastern DRC and government officials silent on the situation, residents say the conflict provides cover for these activities taking place in their vicinity.
In Banamwesi and Motondo, residents said they had been excluded from official maps and denied recognition as customary landowners. Their ancestral forests — rich in biodiversity and part of a national initiative to empower community forest management — have reportedly been occupied by mining operations for years.
Impact
Mongabay’s reporting drove accountability for these socially and environmentally destructive actions. Following the reporting team’s interviews and probing questions sent to the mining firm’s consultant, a company managing director told Mongabay that he would instruct his community development team to speak with community representatives.
