Demonstrations by artisanal miners are disrupting several neighborhoods in Kolwezi, Lualaba province, this Monday. They are protesting against inspections at processing entities and mineral purchasing centers, as well as difficulties in accessing mining sites. The anger of artisanal miners is spreading across several neighborhoods in Kolwezi.
From Kasulo to UCK, passing through Kanina, Musonoie, Kazembe, and the T17 axis, demonstrations disrupted traffic and activities this Monday amid tensions surrounding mineral commercialization and the relocation of miners.
At the root of this mobilization is the closure of certain purchasing centers and restrictions placed on the sale of minerals. These measures reduce opportunities to sell production and deprive many miners of income. Demonstrators feel that the inspection operations further exacerbate their precarious situation.
The situation escalated along the Kasulo-Luilu axis, where vehicles were stoned and passengers injured, according to reports gathered. Tires were also burned on National Road 39, disrupting traffic.
At UCK, police interventions had failed to restore calm by midday. In Kanina and Musonoie, vehicles were also targeted by stone-throwing. In Kasulo and Kazembe, security forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators, who are notably demanding the reopening of purchasing centers.
Mining zones still awaited
Beyond the inspections, the miners are demanding the realization of the Congolese government’s commitments regarding artisanal mining zones (ZEAs). They denounce the slow pace of development work at sites intended to accommodate relocated miners, particularly those transferred from T17 to Kasulo.
The Kamilombe site is also raising concerns. Miners are contesting the state’s repossession of certain areas and fear being forced to leave their workplaces without alternative solutions that offer acceptable working conditions.
Lualaba authorities have mentioned ZEA No. 371 as a destination for the Kamilombe miners. However, the operators express doubts about the site’s distance, its level of infrastructure development, and its mineral potential.
In Kasulo, stripping and infrastructure development works for ZEA 786 were officially launched on July 14, 2026, by the Director General of the Service for Assistance and Support to Small-Scale Mining (SAEMAPE), Jean-Paul Kapongo, in the presence of the Governor of Lualaba, Fifi Masuka Saïni.
However, concerns expressed on the ground center on the slow pace of the work, deemed incompatible with the immediate needs of miners deprived of their main source of income.
The Ministry of Mines, headed by Louis Watum Kabamba, also announced plans to make 33 artisanal mining zones available. Yet, their realization remains eagerly awaited by the miners, who face economic hardship and uncertainty over their future work sites.
This Monday’s mobilization thus highlights demands that extend beyond mere inspection operations: demonstrators are asking for market outlets for their production and developed sites that allow them to resume their activities.
By midday, no official toll of the incidents or official response regarding the demonstrators’ demands was available. The situation remains tense across several neighborhoods of Kolwezi.
Written by Noé KALEMEKO