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Tenke: a mine of injustice

Luca Manes article published by "Nigrizia Online"

Human rights violations and corruption: European NGOs impeach the Tenke project of mine, in DRC, funded by the European Investment Bank.


The design of cobalt and copper mine in Tenke Fungurume, the Democratic Republic of Congo, went ahead despite serious human rights abuses, rampant corruption and social unrest. This is what is abundantly documented in the new report of Counter Balance, a coalition of European NGOs campaigning on the European Investment Bank (EIB). Just the EIB, in fact, financed the project with a loan of up to 100 million euro, while the government agreed the Democratic Republic of Congo was trying to clarify the mining concessions granted during the civil war through a committee to review licenses.

The report, entitled "Soul Mining: the EIB's role in the Tenke Fungurume Mine", also highlights how the contract terms are very disadvantageous to the African country since the main beneficiary of the work will be the company promoter of the mine, the U.S. giant Freeport McMoran. A society that has very bad precedent for environmental violations, so that the Department for Cooperation of the Norwegian Government has included in its "black list". According

Kumwamba Prince, a member of the Congolese ACIDH Ong, who worked on the preparation of the report making numerous field trips and collecting a lot of evidence on the violation of human rights, working conditions for miners, especially those of subcontractors hired, in clear contrary to internationally accepted standards. "They work six or seven days a week without even having signed a contract, while the competition between different communities in the area is used to keep wages as low as possible, "said Kumwamba, who also stressed that families displaced by the project have not been resettled and have not received the compensation due. No coincidence that the social tensions in the area are already at danger levels and an event held in early 2008 led to violence and a series of arrests.

NGOs Counter Balance blame the EIB, the financing granted to the mine, which they consider "irresponsible," especially in a time when rightly criticizing the Chinese involvement in controversial projects in Africa too, but you forget the role played by reality important as the Development Bank of the European Union in the same socio-political context.