President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, has once again ordered soldiers and police officers to withdraw from mineral mining sites that they have controlled for many years.
During a Cabinet meeting held on July 10, 2026, the Congolese president stated that the presence of soldiers and police officers at mineral mining sites has encouraged illegal mining and mineral trading while discouraging legitimate investors.
He instructed the Minister of Defense, Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita, the Minister of the Interior and Security, Jacquemain Shabani, as well as military and police commanders, to remove all security personnel from the mining sites and punish those responsible for deploying them there.
However, Timothée Mbuya, a lawyer with Justicia ASBL, told Radio France Internationale (RFI) that he has little confidence the order will be enforced. He noted that President Tshisekedi issued similar directives in 2019 and 2022, but they were never fully implemented.
Mbuya explained that the continued presence of soldiers and police officers at mining sites benefits powerful individuals, including senior military officers and influential politicians, who profit from the exploitation of the country’s mineral resources.
“These people are extremely powerful. It is not only the military that is involved, but also politicians. Members of influential networks have vested interests in illegal mining, and they are the ones who continue to support these groups,” Mbuya said.
In the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba, which make up part of the former Katanga region, several members of President Tshisekedi’s family, including his brother Christian Tshisekedi, have been accused of involvement in illegal mining operations and of deploying security personnel to protect those activities.
On October 28, 2025, the Minister of Justice, Guillaume Ngefa, confirmed that soldiers from the 22nd Military Region, members of the Presidential Guard, and police officers were involved, citing the findings of an investigation conducted by the agency responsible for combating illegal mining.
Minister Ngefa stated that no soldiers or police officers are authorized to oversee or control mineral mining sites. He called for those who had deployed security personnel to the mines to be prosecuted, but no such action was ultimately taken.
