At a meeting in Kinshasa on February 14, 2025, Kizito Pakabomba Kapinga Mulume, the Congolese Minister of Mines, signed a decree designating several mining sites in Masisi (North Kivu) and Kalehe (South Kivu) as “Red Zones” for a period of six months. This decision comes amid escalating armed conflict, as the M23 rebel group currently occupies these sites, using the illegal extraction of coltan and cassiterite to finance its activities.
A United Nations report from December 27, 2024, noted that a member state of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region had provided logistical and military support to M23, complicating efforts to stabilize the area.
The minister’s move is aimed not only at bolstering security but also at enforcing compliance with Congolese law and international standards, such as those outlined by the OECD and the Regional Certification Mechanism of the CIRGL. 
The decree authorizes independent audits of the affected sites—D3 Bibatama, D2 Mataba, D4 Gakombe, Luwowo, Bundjali, Koyi, Rwandanda, Bihula, and Mululu—by the Ministry of Mines and international bodies, with the intent of reassessing and potentially reclassifying these zones once conditions improve.
