Société Aurifère du Kivu et du Maniema

Société Aurifère du Kivu et du Maniema, SARL (SAKIMA) is a Congolese state-owned mining company which holds interests in various gold and tin mines in the provinces of Maniema, North Kivu and South Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.[2] The company's operations are based in the town of Kalima.

Société Aurifère du Kivu et du Maniema
TypeState-owned enterprise
PredecessorSociété Minière et Industrielle du Kivu
Founded1997 (1997)
Headquarters
Gombe, Kinshasa
,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Key people
Faithful Basemenane Kasongo (Director general)[1]
Websitesakima.cd

History

SAKIMA was founded in 1997 to take over the assets of Société Minière et Industrielle du Kivu. SAKIMA was originally 93% owned by the Canada-based Banro Resource Corporation and 7% owned by the DRC government. Laurent-Désiré Kabila's administration wanted SAKIMA to invest hundreds of millions into reviving its cassiterite, coltan, and gold mines, but Banro refused as it was only interested in the gold mines. Relations between Banro and the government deteriorated, and the SAKIMA's mining agreements were revoked by presidential degree in July 1998 and transferred to Société des Mines du Congo SARL (SOMICO), a new wholly Congolese state-owned corporation.[3] This prompted Banro to file a $1 billion lawsuit at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.[4][5] Following the ascension of Joseph Kabila as president of the DRC, the matter was ultimately settled out of court in April 2002, with Banro getting a 100% interest in the Twangiza, Kamituga, Lugushwa, and Namoya gold mines for a 30 year term.[6] The 2002 agreement reinstated SAKIMA as a wholly Congolese state-owned corporation.[7]

In August 1998, a few days after SAKIMA's mining rights were revoked, Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) launched a rebellion that became the Second Congo War. SAKIMA director Alexis Thambwe was sympathetic to RCD, allowing the rebel group to take over SAKIMA's concessions with little disruption and requisition what mineral stocks existed for the war.[3]

In 2003, SAKIMA signed an agreement with the South Africa-based Central African Resources, who promised to invest $36 million in SAKIMA in exchange for SAKIMA handing over management of its mines. As part of the contract, Central African Resources had an option to acquire 80% of SAKIMA,[8] but SAKIMA eventually leased out many of its deposits to other companies, claiming Central African Resources was taking too long to commence operations.[3] Central African Resources claimed these agreements were illegal, but their contract with SAKIMA was revoked by the Ministry of Mines 2007-2008 mining contract review process.[9][10]

In 2020, SAKIMA signed a joint venture agreement with the Ugandan company Dott Services to run mining sites in Maniema province. The venture, Punia Kasese Mining (PKM), was to be owned 70% by Dott and 30% by SAKIMA.[11][12] In June 2021, DRC president Felix Tshisekedi signed an agreement with Rwandan president Paul Kagame for gold from the venture to be sent to the Rwandan company Dither Ltd for refining, but the deal was revoked in June 2022 amid the renewed offensive of M23.[13]

See also

References
  1. "The difficulties of SAKIMA SA submitted to the Minister of State for the Portfolio". acpcongo. 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  2. "HIGHLIGHTS-Congo mines review seeks contract changes". Reuters. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  3. Gregory Mthembu-Salter (2009-04-05). "Social and economic dynamics of mining in Kalima, DRC". ISS Africa. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  4. "Businessmen Side With Congo Rebels". AP NEWS. 1998-09-14. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  5. "Banro seeks $1 billion for seized land - Suit aims to protect shareholders' interests". The Northern Miner. 1998-09-13. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  6. Jennifer Wells (2011-07-10). "Mining the Congo: Golden opportunity". thestar.com. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  7. "Banro Corporation and a Group of Former Employees". GAC. 2017-06-08. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  8. "KIVU Resources". kivuresources.com. 2008-02-16. Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  9. Nicholas Garrett (2008-06-01). "Artisinal Cassiterite Mining and Trade in North Kivu Implications for Poverty Reduction and Security" (PDF). Communities and Artisinal & Small-scale Mining initiative. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  10. "The complexity of resource governance in a context of state fragility: An analysis of the mining sector in the Kivu hinterlands (2010)". IPIS. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  11. "Chasing militants or money?". The Independent Uganda. 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  12. Center, the Africa (2022-10-26). "Rwanda and the DRC at Risk of War as New M23 Rebellion Emerges: An Explainer – Africa Center for Strategic Studies". Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  13. Patrick Ilunga (2022-06-16). "M23 clash: DRC now suspends bilateral trade agreements with Rwanda". The East African. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
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