Forced Evictions and Serious Abuses at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kibali Gold Mine - A study by PAX
Kibali is Africa’s largest gold mine. It sits in the northeastern province of Haut-Uele in the Democratic Republic of Congo, next to a town called Durba. The presence of this “gold giant” has dramatically transformed this remote area of Congo, a country beleaguered by extreme poverty despite its wealth in natural resources, a situation in part caused by corruption, poor governance, and centuries of international exploitation and intervention. In a three-year investigation, PAX found overwhelming evidence that the expansion of the Kibali mine has entailed large-scale dispossession and violence affecting local communities. An area adjacent to Durba town, containing two densely populated neighborhoods, Mege and Bandayi, was flagged for depopulation by the mine, so that these neighborhoods—vibrant homes to thousands of people—could be reduced to waste dumps for open pits.
The joint venture which owns this mine, Kibali Goldmines SA, is comprised of Barrick Gold Corporation, a multinational company headquartered in Toronto, Canada, which also operates the mine; AngloGold Ashanti, a global company based in the United Kingdom; and the government parastatal Société minière de Kilo-Moto (SOKIMO).