Rights groups denounce forced evacuations in mineral-rich Congo

Berlin, Sept. 12, (dpa/GNA) – Entire communities have been displaced and “grevious” human rights abuses committed due to the expansion of mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), human rights organization Amnesty International said.

The expansion of industrial-scale cobalt and copper mines in the African country had led to the forced eviction of entire communities and human rights abuses including sexual assault, arson and beatings, Amnesty said in a report released on Tuesday.

The mining projects were “wrecking lives and must stop now,” Amnesty Secretary general Agnès Callamard said.

“Amnesty International recognizes the vital function of rechargeable batteries in the energy transition from fossil fuels. But climate justice demands a just transition. Decarbonizing the global economy must not lead to further human rights violations,” Callamard said.

“The people of the DRC experienced significant exploitation and abuse during the colonial and post-colonial era, and their rights are still being sacrificed as the wealth around them is stripped away.”

Amnesty and DRC-based organization Initiative pour la Bonne Gouvernance et les Droits Humains (IBGDH) interviewed more than 130 people at six different mining projects in and around the city of Kolwezi mineral-rich Lualaba Province during 2022 for the report.

Researchers found repeated breaches of legal safeguards prescribed in international human rights law and standards, and national legislation, as well as “blatant disregard” for the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the report said.

GNA