Mining Law and Environmental Issues in Africa

This article provides an analysis of the legal frameworks of the Republic of Congo (RC) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the subject matter of mining, and specifically the way the integration of environmental concerns has evolved. The comparative perspective of two African countries highlights in fact the challenges that face both countries, and the pathway they respectively use to frame and try to give a significant meaning or an effective sense to the protection purported. In this regard, it is demonstrated that the realm of mining operations is in essence a sphere of risk, either operational or accidental, but the evolution of the legal frameworks shows an equivocal development and many differences above some common and visible aspects.