The United States has ordered the immediate withdrawal of its personnel from Zambia’s Copperbelt region, citing new evidence of toxic pollution.
The directive, issued Wednesday, follows revelations about a February 18 dam collapse at the Chinese-owned Sino Metals mine, which released 50 million litres of waste. The toxic spill contaminated a tributary of the Kafue River—one of Zambia’s longest—raising serious health concerns over long-term exposure.
In a statement, the US Embassy said arsenic, cyanide, uranium, and other carcinogens were present, posing significant health risks in Kitwe and surrounding areas. “The newly available information reveals immediate and long-term threats,” the embassy noted in a social media post, though it gave no figure on personnel affected.
The Zambian government has yet to comment or advise its own citizens, despite the scale and gravity of the contamination. The collapse of the tailings dam—a structure designed to hold mining waste—occurred in a region central to Zambia’s copper production, heavily backed by Chinese investment.
Local reports from February described pollution flowing over 100 kilometres downstream, killing fish, poisoning livestock, and endangering rural communities.Kitwe lies about 285 kilometres north of Lusaka, in a region critical to Zambia’s mining-driven economy and vulnerable to ecological disaster.
Environmental groups have long warned of poor safety standards and weak enforcement in mining zones dominated by foreign firms. As pressure mounts, the disaster stands as a stark reminder of the costs borne by communities when profits trump environmental protection.