Up to 6,500 people could be at risk of eviction by the flagship project, a new Global Witness investigation reveals
Main findings:
- Up to 6,500 people at risk of displacement by Lobito Corridor railway between Kolwezi and DRC’s Angolan border, Global Witness satellite imagery analysis shows.
- EU-linked companies involved in the railway rehabilitation, which could include Trafigura and Mota-Engil, could risk breaching EU laws currently under negotiation if they do not ensure local communities are protected.
- Legal ambiguities around a buffer zone, identified by Global Witness, could leave Kolwezi’s most vulnerable open to abuse.
- Locals on the ground warn that the railway risks “destroying people’s lives” if not done properly.
London – Residents of Kolwezi, in the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mining region, may face displacement as a result of the flagship EU and US-backed Lobito Corridor railway project, a new Global Witness investigation reveals.
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Analysing satellite imagery, the investigation estimates that the multi-billion dollar railway rehabilitation could put up to 1,200 buildings – around 6,500 people – at risk. Interviews with residents on the project’s frontline show that hopes for new opportunities are overshadowed by anxiety amid the city’s growing displacement crisis.
A prospective European law could offer communities along the route a powerful tool to defend their rights. Yet the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is now under intense pressure, facing a deregulatory push within the EU and heavy lobbying from major corporations and governments, including the United States.
If the CSDDD is implemented as intended, EU-linked companies involved in the rehabilitation of the railway – which include Trafigura and Mota-Engil – could find themselves in breach of the law if they fail to ensure that local communities are adequately protected from abuses.
Global Witness head of policy and EU relations Emily Iona-Stewart said:
“The Lobito Corridor cannot be built at the cost of communities’ homes and rights. Preventing forced evictions means working with communities from the start, properly mapping settlements, and ensuring the DRC mining code is fully respected for all people living along the corridor.
“EU support and financing must follow the spirit of the CSDDD, backing the project only when human rights are upheld and delivering real community benefits.”
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A railway to transport minerals
The Lobito Corridor is a multi-billion-dollar project that centres on rehabilitating nearly 2,000 kilometres of colonial-era railway. The line is intended to transport minerals from the rich copper and cobalt mines of southern DRC and potentially northern Zambia to the Angolan port of Lobito.
Backed by the European Union and the United States, the Lobito Corridor is intended to increase Western access to the DRC’s minerals, responding to China’s dominance in the sector.
LAR – a consortium of international companies that includes commodity trader Trafigura and Portuguese engineering group Mota-Engil – holds a 30-year agreement to upgrade and modernise the railway line in Angola. While the Lobito Corridor’s business partners in the DRC are not yet confirmed, LAR is currently undertaking emergency works on the line.
