The reform is part of broader efforts to improve governance in the mining sector. The 20,000 recruits, yet to be fully trained, will be tasked with protecting large-scale mining operations, overseeing artisanal mines, and tightening the traceability of mineral exports.
Congolese authorities have so far not disclosed the name of the private company that will train this paramilitary unit.
Training for these mining guards could begin as early as September, with the first battalion scheduled for deployment in Katanga province by January 2027.
While the army and police have traditionally been stationed around mining sites, some provinces – such as Lualaba – already rely on private security agents. These local guards are recruited and trained on-site by local companies registered with security services.
Henri Kasongo Mutata, coordinator of the diocesan commission for natural resources and environment in Lualaba, confirms this arrangement.
“Security of mining sites here in Lualaba is currently ensured by the mining police, along with various security firms. Private guards are hired by mining title holders to secure their sites,” he explains.
Making mines less crime-prone
The DRC holds vast reserves of copper, cobalt, tin, coltan, gold, lithium, and zinc. Despite agreements that allow foreign companies – including American firms – to operate mines, several sites remain inaccessible, largely due to the ongoing conflict in the country’s east. One example is the Rubaya coltan mine, one of the world’s largest, now under the control of the AFC-M23 rebels. This is a major concern for Crispine Ngena, an ecofeminist activist focused on women’s participation in natural resource management.
“The first challenge is the militarization of sites. I don’t see rights being respected in jungles. I don’t see standards being applied. The second question is: does the Congolese state have the capacity to make mines less crime-prone and ensure that foreign companies respect norms and rights – especially the rights of indigenous peoples and women in these areas that are already lawless?” she notes.
In a separate development, private security teams linked to Erik Prince, founder of the former Blackwater firm, have been deployed for several months around mines in Kolwesi and Kisangani, in Lualaba and Tshopo provinces. Their main tasks reportedly include securing mines, improving tax collection, and combating smuggling.
