DR Congo’s environment minister calls ecocide a crime, arguing that unchecked mining of cobalt and other minerals threatens communities and global supply chains. The call follows the country’s first African endorsement of ecocide at the UN, spotlighting the Congo Basin’s role as the world’s second lung.

The minister cites poisoned rivers, abandoned towns and unregulated extraction that enriches major multinationals while impoverishing local villages. This aligns with the Rome Statute’s narrow environmental remit, prompting a push to broaden its scope so corporate profits cannot override ecological and social rights.

By framing ecocide as an international crime, African leaders aim to secure legal recourse for communities and incentivise sustainable investment. The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights could offer a domestic enforcement route, while a revised Rome Statute would raise global accountability.

The move signals a shift that could alter mining contracts, force stricter due‑diligence rules and reshape the valuation of Congolese mineral assets, directly impacting investors in the cobalt and lithium markets.