In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, an environmental catastrophe is unfolding at a rapid pace. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site once home to some of Earth’s rarest species, is being systematically destroyed by Chinese mining operations.
These activities, which have bypassed international protection standards and Congolese law, are wreaking havoc on the landscape along the Ituri River. What was once a lush forest sheltering endangered wildlife is now dominated by Kimia Mining Investment’s industrial complex, complete with machinery, worker housing, and processing facilities. This Chinese-run operation exemplifies the unchecked resource colonization taking place across Africa, even in areas meant to be protected.
The mining operations were made possible by a questionable redrawing of the reserve’s boundaries. Originally, the protected area prohibited mining, but in what officials describe as “opaque circumstances,” these boundaries were altered, conveniently making space for Kimia Mining’s activities. Despite claims that official maps are being followed, the ICCN (the body managing Congo’s protected areas) refutes this, insisting that the original boundaries should remain in force.
The environmental destruction extends beyond the visible deforestation. Former employees of Kimia Mining have exposed disturbing practices, such as the use of mercury in gold extraction, which has poisoned local water sources and soil. The company’s abandoned mining pits are hazardous to both wildlife and local communities, and the contamination has caused dramatic crop yield losses for nearby farmers.
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, home to 15% of the world’s remaining 30,000 okapi, is facing an existential threat. As mining expands, poaching has surged, with local hunters reporting increasingly scarce game animals. The reserve, once a sustainable hunting ground for local communities, is now an industrial wasteland.
This devastation is part of a broader pattern of Chinese resource exploitation in the DRC. In South Kivu Province, 17 Chinese nationals were arrested for operating illegal gold mines, underscoring the widespread nature of these unauthorized operations, which lack proper documentation or environmental safeguards. These activities are further exacerbating the environmental and human toll on local communities.
The human cost of these operations is severe. Local communities, once reliant on traditional mining and agriculture, have lost their livelihoods, with Kimia Mining charging exorbitant fees for locals to mine leftover materials, forcing many into poverty. This mirrors China’s broader strategy in the DRC, exemplified by the controversial 2008 Sicomines deal. The $6 billion agreement promised infrastructure development in exchange for mining rights, but the infrastructure investment amounted to only a fraction of the promised sum, while Chinese companies secured control of the DRC’s richest cobalt and copper sites.
Between January and May alone, the reserve lost more than 480 hectares of forest—equivalent to 900 American football fields. This destruction threatens not just local biodiversity, but the global climate, as the Congo Basin rainforest serves as the world’s second-largest carbon sink. Despite claims of respecting environmental standards, Kimia Mining’s actions suggest otherwise, as their spokesperson’s comment that Congo “can’t place a higher value on the environment than on mining” reveals a stark disregard for environmental protection.
Ankit K, is an Asstant Professor in International Relations, National Defence University
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