Armed guards block community leaders from their own forest land as mining companies eye drc’s critical minerals

In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich copper-cobalt belt, a troubling scene unfolded when armed soldiers blocked community forest manager Valery Kyembo from accessing land that legally belongs to his village. While guiding journalists through a reforestation project near the Lukutwe community forest concession, Kyembo was stopped at gunpoint by national army forces guarding a semi-industrial mine that has apparently encroached on community territory.

The 70-kilometer stretch from Lubumbashi represents a growing battleground between local communities and mining interests seeking the copper and cobalt essential for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technology. Village leaders established the Lukutwe community forest concession as a titled property specifically to protect their land rights and native miombo forests from the expanding wave of mining operations.

Their fears proved justified a decade ago when the Australian-owned Société d’Exploitation de Kipoi displaced farmers from nearby villages of Bungubungu and Shilasimba in their quest for copper and cobalt. This forced displacement sparked urgent action in Lukutwe village, where residents realized they could be next in line for eviction.

The incident highlights a critical tension in the global transition to clean energy: while the world demands more sustainable technology, the extraction of materials needed for that technology is devastating local communities and ecosystems in mineral-rich regions like the DRC. As international pressure mounts for these critical minerals, community forests and the people who depend on them find themselves on the dangerous frontlines of this green revolution.