Amnesty International
has accused a Belgian mining group of bulldozing hundreds of Congolese homes
and benefiting from a government "cover-up." The miner denies the
claims.
Amnesty
International says Belgian miner Groupe Forrest International took part in
destroying homes near one of its mines, in the southeastern Democratic Republic
of Congo, in 2009.
In a report released on Monday, Amnesty said a subsidiary of the company provided
bulldozers used to demolish homes and forcibly evict hundreds of people near
the cobalt and copper mine, in Katanga province.
Police
conducted the operation in an apparent attempt to clear the mine of small-scale
miners stealing from it, but Amnesty has drawn from satellite imagery and other
evidence to refute that claim.
"There
is now overwhelming and irrefutable evidence showing that the forced evictions
that Groupe Forrest International has denied for years in fact took
place," said Audrey Gaughran, the organization's global issues director.
Amnesty
claims hundreds of structures were destroyed before and after the police
operation to clear the small-scale miners - destroying homes and businesses in
three neighborhoods.
"Some
people lost their livelihoods as well as their homes. The impacts are still
felt today. One woman, whose restaurant was demolished, told us that she
doesn't have the money to buy enough food to eat and had to pull her children
out of school. Proper compensation for villagers would have alleviated a lot of
the suffering," Gaughran said.
The report
also claims that government officials in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa,
ordered no charges be filed - despite recommendations by a government
prosecutor.
"This
is a cover-up by the Congolese authorities. The state has failed its own people
by not bringing anyone to justice for these forced evictions and by not
ensuring that compensation was paid," Gaughran said.
Groupe
Forrest International has refuted Amnesty International's claims, laying blame
on police for the evictions, which it labeled "regrettable and
unacceptable."
"These
grave allegations are baseless and are not supported by the facts. [The
company's] subsidiaries and employees always act in an ethical and responsible
manner."
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