Mineral smuggling refers to any operation consisting of illegally removing mineral substances—raw, concentrated, or processed—from the national territory while evading customs, tax, administrative, and security controls.
It constitutes a serious offense that undermines the strategic interests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and compromises the international traceability of Congolese minerals.
According to Article 4 of Decree No. 23/19 of June 9, 2023, mineral smuggling includes, in particular:
- The clandestine transport of minerals to neighboring countries via unauthorized routes
- The use of unofficial tracks, roads, or crossing points to circumvent control posts
- The concealment or camouflage of cargoes in vehicles, containers, or mixed goods
- The falsification or fabrication of false export documents (declarations, certificates, delivery notes, authorizations)
- Complicity in cross-border networks involving individuals, organized groups, or economic operators
- Any transaction aimed at evading legal control of mineral substances, in violation of the Mining Code and the Mining Regulations.
These practices lead to :
- A major financial loss for the State
- An erosion of revenues
- A break in the traceability chain
- A risk of international sanctions for non-compliance with due diligence standards (OECD, ICGLR, EITI).
In accordance with Articles 5, 6, 7 and 8 of Decree No. 23/19, the General Inspectorate of Mines is conducting coordinated actions to:
- Secure mining corridors from the operating site to the point of export
- Strengthen controls on roads, border crossings, ports and airports
- Dismantle cross-border criminal networks in collaboration with :
- The DGDA
- The Congolese National Police
- CENAREF
- Interpol (BCN)
- The CEEC
- Provincial security services
- Authorities of neighboring countries.