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. They work on artisanal mining sites which are largely situated inside mining permits owned by Kibali Goldmines. Since 2014, the Congolese authorities have periodically attempted to evict artisanal miners from sites in southern Faradje. Artisanal miners living in Kibali’s concession area lack access to legal artisanal mining zones, which prevents them from formalizing their activities. This exposes them to unsafe working conditions, abuses, and extortion by state agents and security forces.
In 2024, International Peace Information Service and PAX partnered to conduct field research in Faradje, mapping artisanal mining sites in Kibali’s concession and surveying local workers. The information and arguments presented here are based on this research and on PAX’s earlier research on Kibali and artisanal mining, which has been conducted since 2014.
