The Congolese government is in talks with a private firm to train 20,000 agents for a new mining guard force. The unit will be deployed in extraction zones across the country to improve governance in the sector.
The recruits are yet to be trained, but their mission is clear: protect large-scale mining operations, regulate artisanal mines, and tighten the traceability of mineral exports. Authorities have not disclosed the name of the private company that will train this paramilitary unit.
Training could start as early as September, with the first battalion expected to be deployed in the Katanga region by January 2027.
Currently, army and police personnel are stationed around mining sites, but in provinces like Lualaba, private security agents are also active. These local agents are recruited and trained by local firms registered with security services, according to Henri Kasongo Mutata, coordinator of the diocesan commission for natural resources and environment in Lualaba.
“Securing mining sites here in Lualaba is currently done by the mining police, along with various guard companies. Private guards are hired by mining title holders to secure their sites,” Mutata said.
Making mines less crime-ridden
The DRC holds vast reserves of copper, cobalt, tin, coltan, gold, lithium and zinc. While agreements allow foreign companies, including American firms, to operate certain mines, many sites remain inaccessible due to the conflict in the east. The Rubaya coltan mine, one of the world’s largest, is under the control of AFC-M23 rebels. Eco-feminist activist Crispine Ngena, who works on women’s participation in natural resource management, highlighted the challenge.
“The first challenge is that the sites are militarized. I don’t see respect for rights in such jungles. I don’t see standards being applied. Second, does the Congolese state have the capacity to make mines less crime-ridden and ensure foreign companies respect norms and rights—especially the rights of indigenous peoples and women in these lawless zones?” Ngena said.
In a separate development, private security teams linked to Erik Prince, founder of the former Blackwater firm, have been deployed in several mines around Kolwezi and Kisangani in Lualaba and Tshopo provinces. Their main tasks are mine security, improving tax collection, and fighting smuggling.
