A Belgian firm destroyed hundreds of homes near a Congolese mine and lied about it for years aided by a government cover-up, Amnesty International revealed yesterday.

The demolitions began in 2009 near a copper mine in Katanga province and were carried out by a subsidiary of Belgian firm Groupe Forrest International.

"There is now irrefutable evidence that the forced evictions, which Groupe Forrest has denied for years, took place," said Amnesty spokeswoman Audrey Gaughran.

The rights group said the company had previously blamed a "unilateral police action."

The police operation was ostensibly intended to clear out small-scale miners, but Amnesty said evidence showed hundreds of residents had been evicted.

A government spokesman claimed it was not ministers' place to settle such disputes.

But Amnesty said a prosecutor had investigated the demolitions, only for Kinshasa officials to insist no charges be filed.