"Chinese Miners Accused of Gold Pillage, Environmental Destruction in DRC", Inside Climate News, 17 September 2025

Chinese miners are illegally extracting Congolese gold on a vast scale, according to a new report from the nonprofit PAX, [...].

The report [...] said that semi-industrial gold mining operations have devastated at least 155 miles of rivers and streams in Haut-Uélé, [...].

The DRC embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment.

[...] Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a written statement: “I’m not aware of the specifics you mentioned. Please refer to the competent authorities for further comments.”

[...] using satellite imagery and on-the-ground investigations, PAX documented the use of heavy machinery and large-scale excavations. In some cases, entire riverbeds were moved. [...].

The illegal gold mining [...] left behind “kilometers-long chains of mining pits that have since flooded,” the report stated. Gold mining operations use highly toxic chemicals like mercury and cyanide to extract gold from the sediment.

[...] Larger mammals, including humans, are at risk of having dangerously high concentrations of the heavy metal in their bodies.

Residents told researchers that people, including young children, have drowned in the flooded pits. [...]

Tensions over land use in Haut-Uélé are high [...] with gold mining inflaming violence. Access to clean water, which was once free, has become a major problem in affected areas. [...].

Mining operations have also severely damaged local farmers’ fields without providing proper compensation [...].