By: OrePulse

The Democratic Republic of Congo's National Assembly approved a resolution on November 10, with amendments, creating a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the environmental and social impact of mining companies operating in Haut-Katanga and Lualaba provinces, according to the resolution's rapporteur, Jacques Djoli.

The inquiry will focus in particular on communities living near mining sites in the two southeastern provinces, Djoli said. The commission will have 23 members: the lawmaker who proposed the resolution, 21 deputies designated by parliamentary groups, and one non-affiliated deputy. It will draw on technical support from experts within the National Assembly's administration and from political offices and, under Article 4 of the resolution, has 30 days to complete its work.

Presenting the measure, Djoli said the resolution found that "non-compliance with mining operating standards exposes the populations" of the affected areas and cited "the need to preserve nearby communities and the environment from the harmful effects of mining operations." According to the resolution, the exposure includes radiation and various illnesses, along with significant environmental and material damage.

Lawmakers situated the inquiry within the broader context of the mineral wealth of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba, which contain deposits of copper, cobalt, lithium, gold and diamonds that are important to the global energy transition, according to the resolution's presentation. Mining is a pillar of the Congolese economy, contributing to public revenue, exports and foreign investment, lawmakers said, while noting unspecified prior reports pointing to challenges around natural-resource governance, revenue transparency, compliance with legal and environmental obligations, and protection of local communities' rights.

The parliamentary move follows a separate judicial process targeting mining activity in the same two provinces. Justice Minister Guillaume Ngefa, a minister of state, ordered judicial investigations opened after a joint mission, comprising the Congolese National Police, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), military magistrates and experts from the Ministry of Mines, reported seizing more than 500 trucks and other equipment, along with several thousand tonnes of copper and cobalt, at several mining sites in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, the Justice Ministry said in a communique issued on Monday, November 2.

Ngefa asked the prosecutor general at the Court of Cassation to establish the facts, identify any potential criminal responsibility and draw the appropriate legal conclusions, according to the ministry. Local civil-society organizations have called for the judicial process to be carried through fully and to identify who was behind the mining activity in question in the two provinces, though no individuals or companies have been named in that connection so far.

Neither the resolution nor the Justice Ministry's communique named specific mining companies in connection with the inquiry or the seizures, and the ministry's November 2 statement did not specify when the seizures took place.