In the Faradje administrative territory in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s Haut-Uélé province, more than 5,000 people rely on artisanal gold mining to earn a living and support their families. Many artisanal-mining families have done so for generations. They currently work on sites that now fall largely within mining permits owned by Kibali Goldmines (Kibali), a joint venture of Barrick Mining Corporation, AngloGold Ashanti, and the Congolese parastatal Société minière de Kilo-Moto (SOKIMO). Community members have long criticized the lack of dialogue with both the company and the Congolese authorities.
Since 2014, the Congolese government has periodically attempted to halt artisanal mining within the Kibali concession in Faradje, without offering meaningful assistance to help miners transition to alternative livelihoods. In several instances, security forces have used excessive force in efforts to clear these sites. This report seeks to encourage more constructive engagement by Kibali with local mining communities, outline steps to avoid and minimize impacts on artisanal miners, and promote the resolution of longstanding grievances stemming from inadequate engagement in the past. Such measures could help bring about a more dignified future for these communities.
PAX formulated the following general recommendations to Barrick:
- supporting sustainable artisanal miners in the vicinity of the Kibali mine by creating ZEAs or subcontracting artisanal miners;
- promoting the employment of former artisanal miners at the Kibali mine;
- establishing alternative livelihood programs for former artisanal miners;
- supporting the voluntary return of migrant miners to their place of origin, if safe.
Kibali Goldmines’ response to the report is included as an appendix.
The report draws in part on a 2024 joint mapping of 18 artisanal mining sites within the Kibali concession by PAX Netherlands and International Peace Information Service (IPIS). IPIS created a factsheet to go with the report.
