Deforestation is visible near the Muchacha mine in November 2020, near the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Congo. (AP Photo)
An environmental disaster is rapidly developing in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chinese mining operations are systematically destroying the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was previously home to some of the rarest animals on Earth.
The environment near the Ituri River is suffering greatly as a result of these activities, which have circumvented Congolese legislation and international protection requirements. The industrial complex of Kimia Mining Investment, which includes processing facilities, worker housing, and machinery, now dominates what was once a verdant forest that protected endangered wildlife. This Chinese-led effort is a prime example of the unrestrained resource colonialism occurring throughout Africa, including in protected regions. A dubious redrawing of the reserve’s boundaries allowed for the mining operations. In what officials refer to as “opaque circumstances,” the protected area’s original mining prohibitions were changed to make room for Kimia Mining’s operations. The ICCN, the organization in charge of overseeing Congo’s protected areas, disputes assertions that official maps are being adhered to and maintains that the original borders ought to be upheld.
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