Unfair compensation has become a pattern in mining relocations in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has many strategic minerals that are essential for phones, computers, renewable energy technologies, etc. The rush for these precious minerals has caused local residents to fear not only relocation itself but also relocation under unfair circumstances.

According to some inhabitants, the financial compensation they got is far from sufficient. It is not enough to buy a house or build a new one in their new relocation places.

Some other concerns are related to the provincial government’s administrative process. As a special body, the Relocation Commission (Commission de délocalisations) has been created by the provincial government of Lualaba to oversee evictions and relocation. This commission ends up taking a percentage of the total funds owed to relocated people. Mining companies, on their end, rarely get involved in the dispute after paying the sum, leaving the government to manage compensating those affected.

The Resource Centre invited companies mentioned in the articles below to respond to the concerns. The following companies responded: Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM)/CMOC, Zijin Mining Group/COMMUS (Compagnie Minière de Musonoie) and Ruashi Mining/Jinchuan Group. Their responses are linked below.

The following companies did not respond: Boss Mining/ERG (Eurasian Resources Group) and Gécamines.