【SMM Flash】DRC Mines Ministry Facilitates Return of Artisanal Miners to Mulondo Site Through Negotiated Arrangement
【DRC Mines Ministry Facilitates Artisanal Miners’ Return to Work at Mulondo】On November 2, DRC Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba oversaw the resumption of work by members of the mining cooperative COMIKAN at the Mulondo site in the Mutshatsha area of Lualaba Province, about 42 km southeast of Kolwezi. Artisanal miners had been forced to leave and had been idle for more than a year after new operator PAJECLEM took over the concession previously operated by Chemaf. Following negotiations among the parties, PAJECLEM agreed to cede two mining blocks to COMIKAN’s miners to delineate each side’s working area and prevent land disputes. The minister inspected the site and gave guidance on the lawful, long-term coexistence of artisanal and industrial mining. The ministry described the move as a new step in its mining sector clean-up, which relies not only on regulation and enforcement but also on negotiated, practical solutions.