Human rights abuse allegations at African transition mineral mines surge 122 per cent in 2025.
In countries like DRC and Zambia, weak safeguards for workers and communities, mounting environmental risks, limited corporate accountability reported.
Experts urge governments and investors to put human rights at the core of clean energy transition.
In 2025, human rights abuse allegations at African transition mineral mines soared by 122 per cent to 100 cases, up from 45 in 2024, according to a new report published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), a global organisation working at the intersection of business and human rights.
The report, Transition Minerals Tracker 2026, found that globally, allegations rose by 73 per cent from 156 in 2024 to 329 in 2025.
Since 2010, the tracker has documented 1,226 allegations, reflecting escalating social conflict surrounding the extraction of minerals.
The tracker monitors mining operations producing nine minerals vital for the energy transition, including copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel, iron ore, bauxite, manganese, zinc and, for the first time, rare earth elements used in wind turbines.
Rising global demand for critical minerals is intensifying pressure on mineral-rich countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia, where weak safeguards are leaving workers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities increasingly vulnerable, the authors of the report warned.
DRC itself accounted for 56 allegations in 2024, the most from one country. Workers' rights emerged as the most pressing concern, with 115 reported impacts, including allegations of poverty-level wages, unsafe working conditions and workplace fatalities at major mining operations.
The tracker also expanded its monitoring to Uganda, where the Makuutu rare earth project recorded its first allegation in 2025. Local communities accused mine developer Rwenzori Rare Metals, in which Australia's Ionic Rare Earths holds a 60 per cent stake, of failing to adequately consult residents on land use, water resources and long-term benefits. The company denied the allegations, saying extensive stakeholder engagement had been undertaken.
Environmental risks were also highlighted following the collapse of a tailings dam at the Sino-Metals Leach Zambia copper mine in February 2025, releasing an estimated 50 million litres of toxic waste into the Kafue River system. Affected communities have filed a lawsuit against parent company China Nonferrous Metal Mining Corporation (CNMC) seeking compensation and environmental remediation.
The report found globally increasing threats to human rights defenders, documenting 42 attacks in 2025, more than 50 per cent higher than the previous year. It also recorded 61 protests, 10 strikes and 34 lawsuits in 2025, while community resistance contributed to 27 mine suspensions, closures or operational slowdowns.
According to the report, corporate accountability remained weak. Of the 155 mines linked to at least one allegation globally in 2025, only 87 (56 per cent) had a publicly available human rights policy. Although several major mining companies, including Glencore, Rio Tinto, BHP, First Quantum Minerals, Grupo Mexico, Vale and Zijin, have adopted such policies, others, including CNMC, PT Mining Industry Indonesia (MIND ID) and DCH Investments, have not.
The report concluded that governments, investors and mining companies must place human rights at the centre of decision-making to ensure the global clean energy transition is both sustainable and equitable.