May 31, 2025 – In Kakanda, deep in the Lubudi territory, an unprecedented popular uprising shook the mining town this Friday. Fueled by a long-simmering anger that has now turned collective, 27 local communities took to the streets to denounce a mining plunder orchestrated by foreign mafia networks—protected by military forces and shrouded in political silence. This is no longer a protest; it is an ultimatum—addressed to the State, to the world, and to justice.
This Friday, Kakanda’s red hills trembled—not under the weight of mining machines that rip through its earth daily, but under the steps, cries, and chants of representatives from 27 local communities of Lubudi and Kambove, united in saying “enough” to a system that is destroying them.
For the past three years, their lands have been illegally occupied by foreign mining operators—primarily Chinese and Lebanese—working without permits, oversight, or any return to the local populations. Worse still, these operations are protected by uniformed soldiers, and according to demonstrators, aided by individuals close to those in power.
The slogans shouted during the march left no room for interpretation: “No peace without justice!”, “Our land, our future!”, “Boss Mining or chaos!”. The communities denounced the reckless exploitation of sites including Dicele, Nkella, Kiwana, Kimbalassani, Kakanda North, South, and West, Kimedia, Mpampala, and Mukondo. According to them, hundreds of trucks leave these zones every day, loaded with stolen minerals—without traceability, without environmental standards, and with no benefit to the local people.
While minerals are exported abroad, the villages are falling apart:
- Massive youth unemployment
- Unfunded schools
- Pollution of the Kakanda River
- Impassable roads
- Children working on mining sites
- Arbitrary arrests and physical violence
“They are stealing our land, our future, and silencing us with guns,” declared a traditional leader, met with loud applause from the crowd.
This anger is also directed at the State, accused of letting die one of the only legal operators in the area: Boss Mining. Holder of mining permits 463, 467, 468, 469, and 2589, the company is being blocked from operating its own concessions by the same mafia networks.
And yet, Boss Mining had signed a binding agreement with these 27 communities in August 2023, committing to social development projects (electricity, healthcare, education, clean water). “Before, Boss Mining gave us water, electricity, jobs. Today, armed thieves take everything and starve us,” said a protester from Kikaka.
The communities have submitted an official memorandum to the representative of King Mwenda Bantu Mulongo, with four immediate demands:
- Total withdrawal of military personnel and illegal miners from all mining sites
- Prompt resumption of Boss Mining operations, in full compliance with the law
- Immediate implementation of the community development agreement
- Direct intervention by President Félix Tshisekedi
They warn: no development will happen in chaos, and they are ready to mobilize again if nothing changes. This uprising goes beyond Kakanda. It symbolizes a national fracture: between the State and its people, between law and impunity, between sustainable development and extractive predation. The government’s silence is becoming unbearable. Regional institutions, NGOs, the media, and civil society—both in the DRC and abroad—must see this crisis as an opportunity for a turning point. Kakanda is not just crying out for itself. It is crying out for all communities sacrificed in the name of quick profit.
By kilalopress
