The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has reminded mining companies operating in the southeastern provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba of their obligation to comply with new rules governing fuel use in the sector.

In a letter dated December 10, 2025, and signed by the Ministers of Hydrocarbons, Acacia Bandubola Mbongo, and Mines, Louis Watum Kabamba, the authorities said the reminder followed repeated refusals by several mining operators to grant access to their sites to inspectors from the Petroleum Product Marking Brigade.

According to the letter, the inspectors were seeking to verify fuel stocks in order to ensure that state-subsidized petroleum products intended for household consumption were not being diverted for industrial use at mining sites.

Under Article 22 of the 2025 Finance Law, fuels intended for land and aviation use in mining activities, including gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, lamp oil and liquefied petroleum gas, or supplied to mining companies and their subcontractors, are excluded from all public subsidies. They are also no longer eligible for exemptions from import duties and taxes, notably customs duties and value-added tax.

To ensure enforcement of the measure, mining companies are now required to source their fuel supplies under customs supervision and to use products subject to specific molecular marking. This marking allows subsidized fuels sold at service stations to be clearly distinguished from fuels imported for industrial use.

Since the measure took effect in August, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise has suspected certain mining operators of attempting to circumvent the system. As a result, unannounced inspections were launched by the Petroleum Product Marking Brigade. However, between September 7 and 12, several inspection teams were denied access to fuel storage facilities at some mining sites in Lualaba province.

These incidents prompted the ministers to formally remind mining companies of their obligations and to call for full cooperation with inspection authorities.

In the letter, the ministers said that inspections by the Molecular Marking Brigade will now be conducted jointly with administrative checks by the hydrocarbons authorities. These inspections will focus in particular on installed fuel storage capacity, monthly fuel import and consumption volumes, the availability of customs declarations, and the validity of authorizations covering fuel importation, transport and storage for self-consumption.

According to Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the National Economy Daniel Mukoko Samba, the reform has already had a significant impact on public revenue. Fuel imports generated more than 63 billion Congolese francs, or about $22 million, in August 2025, compared with just 4 billion francs, or roughly $1.5 million, the previous month, representing a more than fifteen-fold increase.

Boaz Kabeya