Residents of the Dilungu and Bel Air neighbourhoods in Kolwezi, in DR Congo's Lualaba province, marched in protest on Friday, Radio Okapi reported. They blame Ruashi Mining for environmental and health damage in their area. They want compensation.
The marchers went to the company's facilities and handed a memorandum to its managers. A representative of the residents' committee read the document aloud. It says residents have raised the problem with the authorities since October 2025. They have not received a satisfactory response.
The memorandum links several kinds of damage to Ruashi Mining's activities. It lists cracked houses, damaged roofs and dried-out crops. Residents also report more health problems, including respiratory illness, skin irritation and nosebleeds.
According to the memorandum, these problems deeply worry the communities. It says they need serious investigation to find the causes and establish who may be responsible. The protesters said the relevant authorities had taken no concrete action despite repeated requests. They are asking for their case to be examined and for the damage to be compensated.
Radio Okapi said it could not obtain a response from Ruashi Mining to the accusations.