17 July 2025
New field research by UK corporate watchdog RAID and Kolwezi-based Centre d’Aide Juridico-Judiciaire (CAJJ) reveals that mine workers in the country’s industrial copper and cobalt operations remain trapped in poverty and face systematic labour rights abuses – despite growing global demand for critical minerals to power the green energy transition. This briefing outlines the most pressing violations.
The mining operations included in the study are Glencore’s Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), Eurasian Resources Group’s Metalkol RTR, China Molybdenum’s Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), China Nonferrous Metal Mining Company’s Somidez mine, Zijin Mining Group’s COMMUS mine and Sicomines, the joint venture between Gécamines and a consortium of Chinese companies and investors.
