By Pardo Mwetaminwa, Coordinator, Union of Indigenous Peoples for Peace and Endogenous Development (UPADE)

In the remote villages of the Fizi region in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a quiet but powerful change is taking place. For years, Indigenous communities watched as their ancestral lands and territories were dug up and their rivers turned cloudy by mining companies. Families saw their fields destroyed and did not know how to speak out, or who would listen. That silence has now been broken.

By Veronique Wanyema Saleh, Coordinator, Femmes Pymees en Action (FEPA), Radio Kivu, FM Congo

By Jeannette KAZERA, Organization Coordinator

In the Fizi territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the illegal and unregulated exploitation of transition minerals such as cobalt, lithium, copper, gold, and cassiterite has long threatened the environment and human rights of local Indigenous communities. To combat this, the Union of Indigenous Women for Integral Development (UFAPDI), funded by Cultural Survival, launched a project to strengthen Indigenous leadership and empower communities through media. 

By Justin BAFUNYEMBAKA, Program Manager at RATECO/SUD-KIVU

In a significant step forward for community radio journalism in South Kivu, Congo, journalists have successfully mastered digital sound processing techniques using Adobe Audition. This achievement follows the completion of a project implemented by Réseau des Radios et Télévisions Communautaires (RATECO) with support from Cultural Survival.

​​By Esther Mwangaza

The Lemera cluster in the Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in cassiterite, a valuable mineral used in the global electronics industry. However, the pursuit of this mineral has led to conflicts with the ancestral land rights of Indigenous Pygmy communities. Mining operations have displaced many Pygmy families from their farmlands and cassava fields without consultation, leaving them without sustainable livelihoods and access to natural resources like water wells and sacred sites.

Par Véronique Wanyema Saleh, coordinatrice de Femmes Pymees 

Dans la période du 15 Septembre 2023 au 15 Juillet 2024, l’organisation FEPA a exécuté un projet dénommé « Projet d’accompagnement des peuples pygmées de la province du Sud Kivu sur le plaidoyer  non violent  de leurs droits violés à travers l’exploitation minière dans leurs villages respectifs » en faveur des peuples autochtones pygmées vivant dans la province du Sud Kivu en République démocratique du Congo avec l’appuis financier de Cultural Survival. 

By Feza Christine, reporter at UPADE Radio Communautaire d'Itombwe (RCI)

In the mining regions of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, the allure of easy money has created a breeding ground for sexual exploitation, especially targeting young Indigenous girls. The influx of cash from mining activities has led to a surge in predatory behavior, with miners and mining company employees using their newfound wealth to lure vulnerable girls into exploitative relationships.

By Pardo Mwetaminwa, UPADE Coordinator

A surge in foreign mining operations in the Fizi territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo is causing growing hardship for local communities, particularly the Indigenous Batwa People. Traditionally reliant on farming, the Batwa are being displaced from their lands without adequate compensation or consultation.

By Veronique Wanyema Saleh, Coordinator of Radio Kivu

In the heart of South Kivu, a region rich in mineral wealth, a program jointly launched by Cultural Survival and Femmes Pymees en Action (Pygmy Women in Action), Radio Kivu FM, Congo, has been empowering Indigenous Pygmy communities to reclaim their rights and protect their ancestral lands from mining activities.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz undertook an official mission to the Republic of Congo at the invitation of the Congolese government on October 14-October 24, 2019 and recently released her final report. The purpose of the mission was to assess progress made in the implementation of Indigenous rights.