Gold mining revenues are increasingly bypassing official coffers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Cameroon. Between 2021 and 2025, 44 tonnes of Cameroonian gold were smuggled to Dubai, compared to only 148 kg officially declared, resulting in a US$3.4-billion capital flight. Besides causing both countries to lose revenue, this practice fuels local conflicts and instability.

In Cameroon, the rising number of gold miners operating without valid mining titles has led to environmental degradation and growing social tensions. It has also become a political, economic and diplomatic problem.

In March, the country’s gold miners’ union revealed that nearly 200 sites were being operated illegally by Chinese nationals, showing the extent of weak state control. Corruption is also a factor, with many Chinese companies protected by powerful elites in Cameroon. 

Authorities have recently hardened their position against illicit mining. In April, Mining Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry urged all Chinese mining operators, formal and informal (artisanal), to comply with government regulations. Failure to do so would result in the closure of non-compliant sites, revocation of permits, and enforcement of environmental bonds in line with the December 2023 Mining Code.

Cameroon’s East and Adamawa regions are home to mechanised gold mining sites operated largely by foreign investors, many of them Chinese companies. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) field research in April found that Cameroonian frontmen were used to obtain mining permits for foreign operators. This was facilitated by politically connected Cameroonian business people, local authorities and mining sector intermediaries. 

Artisanal gold mining in Cameroon is characterised by Chinese operators working alongside officially registered companies. Most sites lack effective state regulation, community involvement and equitable benefit redistribution.

Local communities’ farmland and equipment are being destroyed, and toxic substances like mercury – used for gold extractions – are polluting rivers and agricultural land. Media reports reveal arbitrary arrests and violence against residents and artisanal miners, allegedly perpetrated by security forces, mining operators or people linked to mining activities.

The problem is not new. In 2022, conflict over a mining site in Longa Mali village in eastern Cameroon led to the death of a Cameroonian man, followed by reprisals in which a Chinese miner died.

This type of violence, combined with gold smuggling and tax revenue losses, led authorities to deploy security forces, expel semi-mechanised and artisanal miners from certain sites and temporarily suspend mining activities. However, these ad hoc interventions have not stabilised the affected areas.

In the DRC, concerns about China’s involvement in the gold sector in the eastern provinces have been documented for years, particularly in Mwenga, South Kivu. In 2021, a parliamentary commission reported that several Chinese companies were operating under controversial conditions. Local communities and civil society organisations alleged exploitative labour practices and failures to comply with environmental standards and meet corporate social responsibility commitments.

The situation has worsened since the Alliance Fleuve Congo/M23 seized Goma and Bukavu in early 2025. The Congolese government no longer exercises authority over mining in areas under the group’s control, although it tries to maintain control over the Mwenga mines.

These dynamics reflect the growing role of armed groups in illicit mineral trade networks and the weakening of state oversight in eastern DRC. Illegal gold mining is a central driver of conflict in the area, enriching armed groups, economic actors and segments of Congolese security forces.

The Cameroon and DRC situations show that when gold mining develops in fragile environments lacking effective regulation or community inclusion, insecurity rises. In both countries, several factors cause tension between local communities and mining operators. 

The first relates to exclusion from economic opportunities and land use. Expansion of semi-mechanised and mechanised gold mining operations reduces access to land for communities living near mining sites and marginalises artisanal miners.

In Cameroon, hundreds of semi-mechanised mining sites are irregularly operated by foreign operators and local intermediaries, fuelling a sense of dispossession among surrounding communities. Weak governance, elite control over licensing and limited accountability exacerbate the situation. 

The second factor is the failure of domestic and foreign mining operators to comply with their environmental and social responsibility obligations. Legal frameworks are not widely applied, and investigations reveal water, air and soil pollution, forest destruction and agricultural land degradation – all of which strain local livelihoods.

The third factor concerns poor civil-military relations and security at mining sites. In Cameroon, the eviction of artisanal miners by defence forces is often perceived as favouring mechanised miners. In the DRC, both state and non-state armed groups exploit natural resources without protecting local miners and communities. 

Fourth, some mining companies break their contracts by operating beyond delimited areas. In Adamawa, particularly along the Central African Republic border, miners have altered the courses of transboundary rivers to access gold deposits. These practices disrupt ecosystems and livelihoods downstream and could lead to diplomatic tensions between the two countries. 

Finally, affected communities have few effective avenues for recourse, while gold permitting procedures remain murky. Corruption and the influence of powerful economic actors, particularly Chinese mining companies operating through local political and economic networks, add to the problem. 

Independent, transparent audits of mining activities, with sanctions for offenders, are needed. Both governments should strengthen on-the-ground oversight of mining activities, particularly regarding compliance with environmental regulations, labour laws and licensing procedures. The permit allocation system must be reformed to limit informal arrangements and better supervise intermediaries.

Relevant governments, the Economic Community of Central African States and development partners could support community-based monitoring of mining activities, drawing on West and Central African experiences. However, sustaining such initiatives could be difficult in conflict-affected areas, particularly in eastern DRC.

Local development funds – managed jointly by mining regulatory agencies and community representatives – could mitigate social and environmental impacts. And mining companies must abide by national ecological restoration standards and corporate social responsibility obligations, in coordination with local governments and affected communities.

Written by Michael Mugah Sitawa, Researcher, Central Africa Observatory on Organised Crime and Violence, ISS and Aicha Pemboura, Researcher, Central Africa Observatory on Organised Crime and Violence, ISS