Every day, the correspondents’ club describes how the same news story is illustrated in several countries.
Does the mineral wealth of producing countries finally benefit local populations? The exploitation of precious minerals, such as cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or lithium in Bolivia, has difficulty enriching the inhabitants of the sites, like the country.
>> The article to read to understand the issues surrounding underwater mining
Place sold to industrialists
One of the countries richest in minerals is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where, paradoxically, the exploitation of cobalt impoverishes certain populations. Kolwezi, in the south-east of the country, is known as the “cobalt capital”, a precious mineral necessary for the construction of electric car batteries, for example. The site is therefore strategic in the energy transition.
But for example, since the premises were bought by a Chinese company in 2014, miners and farmers have been evicted from their homes, more or less overnight. Industrialists like Metalkol, in search of profit, do not hesitate to evict communities, sometimes with the help of security forces. Despite Congolese law which requires displaced people to be relocated in similar conditions, we are instead observing a precariousness of their lives.
Repercussions that are long overdue
In Bolivia, lithium has been presented as the means to develop the country for more than 15 years. The Andean country has the largest resources of this metal in the world. However, the Bolivian lithium project is still not profitable. The State has invested a lot and for the moment, the fabulous economic benefits announced for the local populations and for the country have not arrived. Contracts have just been signed in July 2023 with China and Russia to develop this market.
In addition, significant doubts are linked to the lack of information on the environmental impact of a new method of ore extraction. With more intense extraction, it is unclear what the effects on surrounding drinking water might be. Water supplies could be contaminated by brine, threatening local communities. In theory, these communities should be informed of the projects and participate in them through meetings, but these meetings are biased and the participatory process leaves something to be desired.