A coalition of 82 civil society organizations is urging greater transparency and accountability in the management of funds generated from cassiterite mining at the Bisie site in Walikale territory, North Kivu.
The groups addressed their concerns in a formal letter sent on Wednesday, June 18, to both Congolese authorities and Alphamin Bisie Mining, the company operating the lucrative mine.
The move comes just six days after a new set of specifications was signed between Alphamin and local communities in the Wanyanga sector.
Civil society actors say the previous agreement, signed nearly nine years ago, has delivered little in the way of local development, despite millions of dollars having been earmarked for community projects.
“It’s difficult to compare the billions of dollars that people are hoarding in Walikale with the living conditions of the population.
And we wonder where the money is going?” said Vicar Batundi Hangi, a key coordinator of the organizations leading the call.
Hangi pointed to the discrepancy between the projected benefits and the realities on the ground.
From 2016 to 2024, he claims, more than $30 million should have been allocated for community development—but its impact remains invisible.
“There must be a sincere evaluation and a serious audit to ensure the traceability of funds allocated to community projects.
Because $30 million is a lot! We need to know where the money is going, who benefits, and why there is poverty in the area,” Hangi emphasized.
Under the current memorandum of understanding governing operations at Bisie, Alphamin is obligated to allocate 0.3% of its turnover to local development in the Wanyanga sector.
These funds are meant to support inclusive projects such as road infrastructure, school upgrades, health facility improvements, and job creation initiatives.
But civil society leaders argue that without meaningful oversight, the potential of these resources to transform lives in one of the most mineral-rich regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is being squandered.
The call for accountability adds to growing public scrutiny of extractive industries in the region, where communities have often borne the brunt of environmental and social costs while reaping few of the economic rewards.
As a new phase of cooperation between Alphamin and local stakeholders begins, campaigners hope their demands will not go unheard.
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