- Twenty-seven residents of Kolwezi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have filed a lawsuit against Chinese-controlled mining company COMMUS, alleging that its operations have polluted the air, water and soil, damaging their health and livelihoods.
- The plaintiffs are seeking approximately $1.3 million in compensation and another $5 million for environmental restoration. They also want the company to provide safe drinking water and fund an independent health assessment.
- Environmental rights groups say the lawsuit could test whether communities affected by industrial mining can hold companies and government regulators accountable under the DRC’s mining laws.
Twenty-seven residents of Kolwezi, a major copper and cobalt mining hub in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, have taken Chinese-controlled mining company COMMUS to court, accusing it of polluting their water, air and soil and putting their health and livelihoods at risk.
The lawsuit against Compagnie Minière de Musonoie Global (COMMUS), controlled by Chinese mining giant Zijin Mining, was announced in a Nov. 3 statement by human rights organizations Afrewatch and RAID, which are supporting the plaintiffs.
The case raises questions about the environmental and human costs of industrial mining in the DRC, one of the world’s leading producers of copper and cobalt, minerals essential to technologies used in the global energy transition.
For residents living near COMMUS’s operations, the dispute is about more immediate concerns: access to clean water, deteriorating health and the loss of livelihoods that once depended on local waterways.
“COMMUS found us living here. Before, we lived well,” said one resident, who was quoted anonymously in the statement.
“We used to fish, vegetables grew naturally along the stream, and we used its water for cooking and washing. But COMMUS polluted our stream, blocked it and diverted its course,” the resident said.
The resident alleged that fish had disappeared from the stream, that the water now caused skin problems and that exposure to the surrounding air produced facial irritation.
“We asked the authorities to come and see what was happening, but we never received any help,” the resident said.
The first hearing took place Nov. 3 before the Commercial Court of Kolwezi. Eight children are among the 27 plaintiffs.
The lawsuit also names the Congolese government and the Congolese Environment Agency (known by its French acronym ACE), which the residents accuse of failing to adequately monitor the mine and enforce environmental regulations.
The plaintiffs are invoking provisions of the DRC’s revised 2018 Mining Code, including Article 141, which addresses environmental protection, the rehabilitation of mining sites and the conservation of forest resources.
Residents seek compensation and environmental cleanup
The plaintiffs are demanding approximately $1.3 million in compensation for alleged harm, including medical expenses, lost income and emotional distress.
They are also seeking $5 million to restore the damaged environment, according to Afrewatch’s statement.
Beyond financial compensation, the residents want the court to order COMMUS to stop the alleged pollution and clean up contaminated water and soil.
They are also calling for access to safe drinking water and an independent study to determine the health effects of the company’s operations on surrounding communities.
The case is not the first attempt by communities in the DRC’s mining regions to seek legal redress for environmental damage.
In an earlier dispute dating to 2013, residents in the Kipushi area of Haut-Katanga province sued Compagnie Minière du Sud Katanga, Entreprise Générale Malta Forest and state-owned mining company Gécamines over alleged river pollution.
The companies were found liable in an initial court ruling, but the affected residents never received compensation, according to Jeef Mbiya, a lawyer and decentralization specialist interviewed by Mongabay.
That experience illustrates one of the obstacles facing communities seeking environmental justice: winning a court case does not necessarily mean receiving compensation or securing environmental restoration.
Scientific studies document pollution in Kolwezi
The lawsuit comes against a backdrop of documented air pollution in Kolwezi, although existing research does not establish a direct link to COMMUS.
A scientific study published in November 2024 in the International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research found excessive concentrations of airborne particles in the neighborhoods surveyed. The study was conducted by researchers affiliated with the DRC’s General Atomic Energy Commission and the Higher Institute of Applied Technology (ISTA) in Kolwezi.
“All the neighborhoods in the city covered by our study had excessive concentrations of airborne particles,” the researchers reported.
According to the study, measured particle concentrations were 52 times higher than a World Health Organization reference level cited by the authors. The researchers linked the broader pollution problem partly to industrial and artisanal mining activities, without identifying any single company as responsible.
For Afrewatch, the COMMUS lawsuit represents an important test of whether the DRC’s strengthened mining regulations can deliver meaningful environmental accountability.
The organization says a favorable ruling could encourage other communities living near industrial mines to seek compensation and demand action against environmental damage.
But the outcome will depend not only on whether the plaintiffs can establish liability. It will also test whether the country’s legal and regulatory institutions can ensure that any court-ordered compensation, cleanup or other remedies are actually delivered.
Banner image: A COMMUS mining pit near the home of a resident in Kolwezi. Image by Didier Makal/Mongabay.
Cite this article
Anne Nzouankeu, Will Mbuyu (2026). DRC residents sue Chinese mining company over alleged pollution in Kolwezi. Mongabay Conservation news. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66709/news-335381Credits
