Tensions high in DRC, the global cobalt capital, between artisanal miners and industrial mining companies

January 29, 2026

In Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, which holds 70 percent of the world's cobalt reserves, violent conflicts have erupted between artisanal miners and industrial mining companies over access to mining sites. On December 19, 2025, the Mines Minister signed a decree suspending artisanal mining operations to protect industrial companies, triggering widespread unrest including looting and casualties. The root problem stems from a severe shortage of officially designated Artisanal Mining Zones, forcing approximately 3 million artisanal miners to trespass on industrial sites to earn livelihoods, leading to attacks, injuries, and deaths on both sides.

Who is affected

Artisanal miners (approximately 3 million people called "creuseurs")
Industrial mining company workers and operators
Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), owned by Glencore
Chinese company COMMUS
The DR Congo government
Families dependent on artisanal mining income
The general DRC population (85.3 percent living in extreme poverty)

What action is being taken

Artisanal miners are trespassing on industrial mining sites
Industrial mining company workers are experiencing attacks, beatings, and robberies
Mining companies are reporting killings and injuries to authorities
The government suspended artisanal mining operations through a ministerial decree signed on December 19, 2025

Why it matters

This conflict is critical because cobalt is essential for electric car manufacturing, aeronautics, and medical industries globally, while the mining sector employs over 3 million people and accounts for more than 90 percent of DRC's economy and 30 percent of the national budget. The situation highlights a severe inequality where despite vast mineral wealth, 85.3 percent of the DRC population lives in extreme poverty with an 84 percent unemployment rate. The violence and instability threaten both the livelihoods of millions of artisanal miners and the operations of industrial companies that are crucial to the national economy.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices