A Congolese human rights organization has detailed the sanctions imposed on Chinese company Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM) over a pollution incident that affected Lubumbashi, capital of Haut-Katanga province, on Nov. 4, 2025. The Institut de recherche en droits humains (IRDH) disclosed the penalties in a press release dated Feb. 16, 2026, citing a letter from the mines minister dated Jan. 17, 2026.

According to the civil society group, CDM was fined $6.63 million and ordered to pay $6 million in collective compensation. The IRDH described the fine as low but acknowledged that it is consistent with the statutory penalty scale for the violations identified. The Institute said the collective compensation was “grossly inadequate given the scale of the damage.”

On Nov. 4, 2025, large volumes of water from CDM’s retention basin spilled into several areas around its facilities, including the Moïse market, which supplies much of northern Lubumbashi. A document published by the IRDH in January estimated that about 2.5 million cubic meters of acid leachate were released into the environment. Analyses cited in the same document found heavy metal concentrations exceeding international standards by several thousand times, with immediate impacts on local communities. The document recorded “504 documented health cases (skin, digestive and respiratory conditions), 258 damaged agricultural fields, 42 contaminated wells and 29 livestock losses.”

More Than $100 Million Demanded

The total amount sought by affected communities stands at $106.84 million, according to the IRDH. Of that sum, $100 million is claimed over exposure to endocrine disruptors, which have irreversible effects on the hormonal system and may pose serious risks across generations.

“This fund is intended to finance a medical reference center specializing in the diagnosis, treatment and long-term monitoring of mining-related illnesses. The center will also include research and epidemiological surveillance functions,” the IRDH said.

Following the incident, the mines minister suspended CDM’s operations at its Lubumbashi site for an initial period of three months. In a statement published Feb. 13, 2026, the Ministry of Mines said the resumption of activities at the CDM/Joli-Site facility is conditional on several measures, including the effective fulfillment of social obligations toward neighboring communities and the strengthening of monitoring, prevention and early-warning systems to prevent a recurrence.

The IRDH nonetheless said CDM does not appear to be fully meeting its compensation obligations. According to the Institute, the company has limited itself to donations or projects already included in its operating agreement, without clearly separating those contractual commitments from compensation measures linked to the environmental incident.

Timothée Manoke