PRESS RELEASE

Lubumbashi, November 7, 2025

The Consortium Mazingira pour Tous and Resource Matters express serious concern following the contamination of the Lubumbashi River, which has resulted in the death of aquatic life and exposed local communities to major health risks. They call on the mining company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM), along with the relevant state institutions, to urgently decontaminate all affected waterways and to take immediate measures to protect public health.

On November 4, 2025, a retention basin belonging to the mining company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM) located in the Kassapa neighborhood of Lubumbashi, reportedly collapsed, releasing large quantities of acid-contaminated wastewater. This toxic discharge flooded residential plots, roads, the Lubumbashi River, and the so-called “Moïse” market. The most immediate visible consequence was the mass die-off of fish in the Lubumbashi River. For the local population, ingestion of acid-contaminated water can lead to serious health problems, including gastrointestinal disorders (diarrhea, vomiting), nervous system damage, developmental issues, increased cancer risk, and burns or injuries to the respiratory tract. Despite this, residents are still walking through the contaminated water.

This incident is not isolated. Previous investigations by RAID, Afrewatch, and the by Consortium Mazingira pour Tous have already documented similar cases in the region, occurring amidst weak environmental oversight and recurring negligence by mining operators.

The Consortium Mazingira Pour Tous and Resource Matters welcome the decision of the National Minister of Mines to suspend CDM’s operations for a period of three months.

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We also encourage the Minister to extend this approach to all other mining companies by implementing additional binding measures, including concrete corrective actions to ensure compliance with environmental, social, and governance standards in the mining sector.

The Consortium Mazingira Pour Tous and Resource Matters recommend:

To the company CDM:

Urgently decontaminate all areas affected by the spill;
Ensure that individuals who were directly exposed to the substances, or indirectly exposed through the consumption of dead fish, undergo specialized medical examinations;
Compensate all persons who have suffered damage to their property or farmland;
Publish a post-incident environmental impact report, along with the measures taken to prevent similar incidents in the future;
Establish a permanent community-based monitoring mechanism.

To the National Minister of Mines:

In light of the repeated and excessive environmental pollution incidents within the mining sector in the DRC:

Initiate a comprehensive environmental audit of all mining companies, including small-scale and artisanal operations;
Require strict compliance with the Mining Code regarding the obligation for mining companies to make their Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) publicly available;
Sanction, as in the case of CDM, all mining companies responsible for environmental pollution and those that have failed to publish their ESIAs.

To the Provincial Governor, the Directorate for the Protection of the Mining Environment (DPEM), and the Congolese Environment Agency (ACE):

Immediately initiate independent investigations and assessments of the incident and its impacts in order to determine responsibility;
Publish a post-incident environmental impact report, along with the measures taken to prevent similar disasters in the future;
Ensure the full remediation of the damage caused by the incident.

To the population:

Exercise caution and avoid consuming fish or other aquatic products from the Lubumbashi River and surrounding water sources until scientific analysis results are released;
Report any suspicious sale of fish or aquatic products in local markets.

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