The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is in discussions with a private firm to train 20,000 personnel who will form a dedicated mining guard. This force is intended to protect large-scale mining operations, oversee artisanal mines, and strengthen the traceability of mineral exports. The initiative is part of broader reforms aimed at improving governance in the country’s mining sector.
So far, the Congolese authorities have not disclosed the identity of the private company tasked with training this paramilitary unit. Training for the mining guards could begin as early as September 2026, with the first battalion scheduled for deployment in the Katanga region in January 2027.
Currently, security around mining sites is provided by the army and police, but in some provinces such as Lualaba, private security agents are also employed. These local agents are recruited and trained on-site by local firms registered with security services. Henri Kasongo Mutata, coordinator of the diocesan commission for natural resources and the environment in Lualaba, explains: “The security of mining sites here in Lualaba is currently ensured by the mining police, along with various private security companies. Mining title holders hire these private guards to protect their sites.”
Making mining areas 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 mines, some sites remain inaccessible due to the ongoing conflict in the east. The Rubaya coltan mine, one of the world’s largest, is controlled by AFC-M23 rebels. This is a major concern for Crispine Ngena, an eco-feminist activist focused on women’s participation in natural resource management. She says: “The first challenge is that the sites are militarized. I don’t see rights being respected in such a lawless environment. I don’t see standards being applied. Secondly, does the Congolese state have the capacity to make mines less crime-prone and to ensure that foreign companies comply with norms and respect rights, especially the rights of indigenous peoples and women in these areas that are already like a jungle?”
In a separate development, private security teams linked to Erik Prince, founder of the former Blackwater firm, have been deployed for months in several mines around Kolwezi and Kisangani, in the Lualaba and Tshopo provinces. Their main tasks are reportedly to secure mines, improve tax collection, and combat smuggling.
