Overview
- Global Witness estimates that up to 6,500 people in Kolwezi could face eviction as rehabilitation of the Benguela railway advances toward the Angolan border.
- The group identified roughly 1,200 at‑risk buildings near the tracks through satellite analysis, with most located in the Bel Air neighborhood.
- Lobito Atlantic Railway, the Mota‑Engil–Trafigura–Vecturis consortium with a 30‑year concession, disputes the figures and cites a 10‑metre buffer, while Congolese officials and SNCC sources point to 25 metres and stress SNCC’s operational role in the DRC.
- The European Commission says feasibility and independent environmental and social impact assessments are in progress, notes requirements for community consultation and possible resettlement, and states it is not involved in current works.
- Western support includes a $553m US DFC loan and EU funding for related links, as the corridor seeks to move DRC copper and cobalt to Lobito on infrastructure largely rebuilt by China between 2006 and 2014.