This text below is an unofficial translation by Business and Human Rights Resource Centre of some excerpts of the French original article.

More than one mining company based in Haut Katanga is working in total non-compliance with environmental standards, in full view of the competent authority. This is despite several actions carried out by communities to claim their rights to live in a healthy environment...mining companies dump their waste into the environment, polluting water, air and soil. This is the case, for example, of the Ruashi River, a tributary of the Kafubu River. The communities of Ruashi commune are forced to use this waterway despite the extent of the pollution.

Even fishing is no longer practiced there because the fish die as a result of this chemical pollution. The soil becomes more and more infertile. There is no way to practice agriculture in this part of the country, because of the degradation of the soil.

This situation persists despite the incident of April 2023, when more or less 140 people were poisoned by the waters of a river..."The residents had eaten dead fish as a result of the pollution of the Compagnie minière de Kambove (COMIKA) [Joint venture between Wanbao Mining and Gécamines]. Several people had pimples on their bodies after washing in the stream where the company's waste had been dumped. The mineral processing plants that are located in residential areas cause worrying pollution of the air, water and vegetation on a daily basis," said an anonymous person...

The South Congo network of the ONGD Premi-Congo...filed a complaint against Ruashi Mining [a Joint venture between Jinchuan Group and Gécamines], during the same year. This was for non-compliance with the social and environmental obligations of the Mining Code...

"The issue of mining companies is a reality. The exploitation of minerals creates a lot of toxic waste. And, managing the mining environment is very expensive. Companies are required to carry out environmental studies beforehand. However, only some companies comply with the standards by using hydrometallurgy...Ruashi Mining, for example, has never been environmentally friendly. Everything she does, I would say it's out of defiance. It is as if the state caresses these companies. When you contact the competent services, they tell you that these are investors who should not be discouraged," said Christian Bwenda, Director of the ONGD Premi-Congo...

Only the company Boss Mining [Joint venture between Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) and Gécamines] had been sanctioned by the Ministry of Mines for pollution, but it resumed its activities in 2022 and there is no reason to say that it has learned its lesson. Pollution is in full swing...this situation is right to worry the communities of Ruashi...

"It is important that Ruashi Mining mobilizes resources to displace these communities. They are suffering a lot of damage caused by this company. It has been operating full-time since 2006. There are houses that crack because of its explosives, there are several cases of congenital diseases...We have produced many reports on these evils, but the authorities focus more on companies than on communities. So, it would be better for the population to be displaced so that this mining company alone occupies this space to go about its business freely," said the human rights activist for these communities, Christophe Kabuita.

The Resource Centre invited to respond companies mentioned in the article but they did not respond.