The copper and cobalt sites of the Chinese company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM) in Lubumbashi have been suspended. The measure, announced on November 6, 2025, by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Minister of Mines, Louis Watum Kabamba, will last an initial three months.

 It targets the company’s operations following a major industrial pollution incident that affected several neighborhoods across the city. 

During the suspension period, which may be extended, the copper and cobalt producer is required to continue paying all site staff in full, the minister said. CDM must also repair the environmental damage, compensate affected residents, and pay fines provided for in the Mining Code and applicable regulations.

Local media reported that contaminated water began leaking from CDM’s facilities in the Kasapa area of the Annexe commune, north of Lubumbashi, as early as Monday, November 3. The situation worsened sharply on November 4, when large volumes of water from the company’s retention pond spilled into surrounding areas, flooding in particular the Moïse market, which serves much of the city’s north.

Retention ponds are industrial basins designed to store and neutralize liquid effluents from mineral processing before discharge into the environment. A breach can release acidic, heavy metal-laden effluents that severely contaminate soil, homes, and waterways.

Eyewitnesses reported residents suffering skin burns after contact with the water, while viral images on social media showed dead domestic animals and fish floating in polluted streams, including the Lubumbashi River.

Minister Watum rushed to Lubumbashi on the night of November 5-6 to assess the situation. Onsite, CDM officials attributed the leak to a falling stone that they said damaged the pond’s impermeable lining and caused the toxic discharge.

The explanation failed to convince the minister, who posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account that the company’s discharge pond “does not meet any environmental standards, lacking an impermeable lining, structural stability, control mechanisms, or an emergency plan.”

Local media said the company took emergency measures to contain the pollution, including building a lime barrier to neutralize acidic water and using a pump to divert contaminated liquid into an old basin.

This is not the first incident involving CDM. Residents previously accused the company in 2022 of dumping polluted water into sewage systems and releasing toxic fumes from its operations.

The latest episode has reignited debate over the environmental accountability of mining companies in the DRC and the capacity of authorities to enforce strict standards in a sector often criticized for practices that endanger communities and ecosystems.

Timothée Manoke