Lithium de Manono: a promising project sacrificed on the altar of political interests
25.07.2022,
Manono, a landlocked territory in the province of Tanganyika, only has eyes on the lithium exploitation project that the company Dathcom proposes to develop, with the Australian AVZ as majority shareholder, alongside the Congolese Cominière. Between 2017 and 2021, AVZ took the time to explore the basement of Manono until, in April 2021, it gathered the convincing clues of a lithium deposit estimated at 400 million tonnes with a grade of 1.6% of Lithium.
In May 2021, AVZ, which piloted all the exploration phases with its partner, Cominière, submitted its environmental impact study and its feasibility study to the Mining Registry (CAMI), hoping to acquire the operating permit on as quickly as possible to begin development of the mine. Since then, it's been a black hole.
Not only that the State is slow to issue him the Operating Permit, but other considerations have taken over the project, casting doubt on its implementation. To inquire about the situation, the Congolese NGO "Tous pour le Congo", accompanied by a team of journalists, went down to the territory of Manono to question the actors, as well as the population of this remote territory of Tanganyika. On site in Manono, there are many expectations. Faced with the poverty that gnaws at him, Manono places all his hopes on this lithium project. But, in Kinshasa, the discourse is quite different. Dark hands, surely political, have taken this project hostage, without worrying about the innumerable positive ripple effects that it could generate both in the province of Tanganyika and on the whole of the DRC. What is happening around this project? Did we finally decide to kill the egg hen, sacrificing the people of Manono?
Bishop Vincent de Paul Kwanga Njibu, Bishop of Manono
The territory of Manono is dying, with it the lithium exploitation project on which he has placed all his hopes. Since 2017, the year of the launch of the exploration undertaken by Dathcom, a company formed between the Australian multinational AVZ, in association with the company of the State Portfolio, Cominière, the people of Manono have kept all their breath, now seeing the end of the tunnel for its influence. Five years were necessary for AVZ, leader of this project, to finally arrive at a result. In Manono, lithium, this main component in the manufacture of electric batteries, is indeed there, buried in its basement.
For this remote territory of the province of Tanganyika, the discovery of the lithium deposit with a capacity of 400 million tonnes with a grade of 1.6% was a godsend. Finally, Manono could breathe. But that was without reckoning with Kinshasa's manifest desire to stifle good initiatives.
In reality, all the misfortune began when in May 2021, AVZ and its everyday accomplice, La Cominière, filed their environmental impact study with the Mining Registry, coupled with the feasibility study to obtain the Operating permit (PE). AVZ certainly thought they were doing well, but she couldn't imagine that this was also the beginning of their misfortune. Since then, the EP is not granted to them. Moreover, the shareholding of Dathcom is the subject of a sale in good standing without going through the texts which govern the Joint-venture.
The black hole
What explains this blockage? Why do we refuse to deliver the EP to Dathcom to finally start the operation? Questions that are hard to find answers to.
However, we know that in Kinshasa, we are not prepared to give AVZ a green card to launch into the production of lithium concentrate.
In Manono, no one can explain this blockage either. From the administration of the territory to the Grand Luba of Bakongolo, we no longer understand anything of the torture that is imposed.
The cry of distress from the people of Manono ended up alerting civil society working in the natural resources sector. Accompanied by a group of journalists from Kinshasa, the NGO "Tous pour le Congo" organized, on Monday July 18, 2022, a descent into the territory to understand what is happening behind the lithium project piloted by the Australian AVZ .
Manono is a landlocked territory where the scars of the battle that pitted forces loyal to the RCD/Goma rebels a few years ago are still visible. On the spot, one discovers the vestiges of a territory which radiated at the time of Zaire Etain, which will become Cominière thereafter. But since then, it's been chaos.
In Manono, it is rather gaping holes, proof of the great artisanal mining activity, which attracts against attention. This mining craft uses people of all ages, women, children, young and old. No one is spared.
Testimonials
“It's our new life. The field no longer pays. Even if I have to cultivate, I am not guaranteed to sell the products from my field. Manono is landlocked. It is difficult to evacuate our field products. Our only activity is to dig cassiterite to resell it to MMR (Editor's note: a local mining company that gets its supplies from artisanal workers", said, with a heavy heart, a woman from Manono who was leaving, parcel on the head of an artisanal mine in Manono. She is not the only one. Like others, artisanal mines occupy most of the population of Manono. It is their only way of fighting against precariousness and reduce the angles of poverty.
And when in 2017 AVZ decided to undertake mining exploration in the territory, for the people of Manono, the messiah was finally here. What's worse, when AVZ announced that it had finally discovered the deposit, promising to move on to exploitation as quickly as possible, all of Manono was jubilant.
“When AVZ told us that its research results were conclusive, it was a party in Manono. We tell ourselves that God and the ancestors have heard our prayers. We could finally see the end of the tunnel and think about the development of our territory. But, since AVZ told us this good news, there is nothing on the ground. We are told that it is blocking Kinshasa, which is slow to issue the operating permit. Why, we don't know? However, I, Grand Chief Luba of Bakongolo, and all my people have placed a lot of hope in this project. You have traveled the territory and you have seen the level of poverty. Imagine what this project can bring to Manono, a landlocked territory. That we finally care about ourselves. We are always told that everything must be unblocked from Kinshasa. I appeal to the President of the Republic: help the people of Manono realize their dream. Unleash Manono's lithium project. This is our only hope of achieving development. Send this message to the Head of State", said, speaking in Swahili, Grand Chief Luba Mwilambwe Wasenga Sébastien de Bakongolo, head of the lands where the deposit discovered by Dathcom is located, with the expertise of AVZ .
The administrative office of the territory of Manono
Deputy regional administrator in charge of economic and financial issues, Gratien Kakudji, remains optimistic: “The security situation is calm in Manono. Dathcom, we received it with open arms and the population awaits the realization of this project. But there are concerns as the project has taken a long time to move into the operational phase. Everything happens as if they were still in the preparatory phase. With the population, we are in the process of calming it down, because whatever the length of the night, they say, the day always ends up breaking. For the moment, we have not yet put in place a structure that should serve as an interface. But, whenever there is a problem, we meet with Civil Society to discuss with Dathcom. In the research phase,
As for the Bishop of Manono, Mgr Vincent de Paul Kwanga Njibu, he is impatiently awaiting this project to give new hope to the people of Manono: "We are waiting because the operating permit has not yet been granted to Dathcom for actually start operations. In reality, we lack reliable information regarding the progress of the project. What we are learning is that there is tension between them, the shareholders. But, no one has told us what is really going on. As civil society, we are in trouble. Communication is weak. Neither Cominiere nor AVZ communicates on the project. For us, we believe it is time for the country to take advantage of its natural resources, the people of Manono in the first place. But, there is a vagueness around this affair. Which makes it hard to follow what's going on. For the moment, the territory of Manono is calm. He is no longer classified in the triangle of death”.
Mike Brown, AVZ's exploration director, is of the opinion that everything should settle down in the next few days: "We are waiting for the Exploitation License to develop the 400 million tonnes with a 1.6% lithium. The feasibility study was conclusive. We had undertaken everything with the geologists of La Cominiere, including Alex Mwanabute (2 years old) and Augustin Kibwe Niando (3 years old) starting in 2017. While waiting for the operating permit which will surely come, we are accentuating the construction of the camp and 'other infrastructure'.
Balthazar Tshiseke, CEO of Dathcom
Balthazar Tshiseke, DGA of Dathcom, is confident in the future: “We have big projects which will be grafted onto Manono's lithium. Everything will be done on site. The rehabilitation of the Mpiana-Mwanga power plant, which has been shut down for years, will be rehabilitated. The studies are already finalized. Just like the rehabilitation of the Lubumbashi – Manono road, 650 km long. The Manono airfield runway is also in our plans. In short, we are ready. We are only waiting for Kinshasa's go”.
Manono is still keeping his breath, while waiting for Kinshasa to decide the fate of his lithium, this ore very popular in the electric battery manufacturing industry.
Manono, territoire enclavé de la province du Tanganyika, n’a de regards que sur le projet d’exploitation du lithium que se propose de...
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