The reform is part of broader efforts to improve governance in the mining sector. The 20,000 recruits, once trained, will be tasked with protecting large-scale mining operations, supervising artisanal mines, and strengthening the traceability of mineral exports. 

Congolese authorities have not yet disclosed the identity of the private company that will train this paramilitary unit. 

Training for the mining guards could begin in September, with the first battalion scheduled for deployment in the Katanga region by January 2027. 

The military and police have long been stationed around mining sites, but in some provinces—such as Lualaba—private security agents are also employed. These local agents are recruited and trained on-site by local companies registered with security services. 

Henri Kasongo Mutata, coordinator of the diocesan commission for natural resources and the environment in Lualaba, explains the current situation. 

“Currently, securing mining sites here in Lualaba is handled by the mining police, in collaboration with various security firms. Private guards are hired by mining title holders to protect their sites.”

Making mines less crime-prone

The DRC holds vast reserves of copper, cobalt, tin, coltan, gold, lithium, and zinc. While agreements allow foreign companies—including American firms—to operate mining sites, some remain inaccessible due to the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the country. The Rubaya coltan mine, one of the world’s largest, is controlled by AFC-M23 rebels. This concerns ecofeminist activist Crispine Ngena, who focuses on women’s participation in natural resource management.

“The first challenge is that the sites are militarised. I see no respect for rights in these jungles. I see no enforcement of standards. The second question: does the Congolese state have the capacity to make mines less criminogenic and ensure that foreign companies comply with norms and respect rights, especially those of indigenous peoples and women in areas that are already lawless?” 

In a separate development, private security teams linked to Erik Prince, founder of the former Blackwater firm, have been deployed in several mines around Kolwesi and Kisangani in Lualaba and Tshopo provinces for several months. Their primary mission is reportedly to secure mines, improve tax collection, and combat smuggling.