Roadblocks in Masisi and Walikale: Predation on movement in turbulent times

March 8, 2024

While minerals have centered in research on conflict financing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, armed actors often rely on alternative sources of revenue to finance their struggles. Among these are the operation of roadblocks. In this report, produced together with ASSODIP and the Danish Institute for International Studies, IPIS studies the linkage between roadblocks and the local artisana


Mining and conflict in the eastern DRC: An interactive story map

February 15, 2024

Conflict-financing, armed interference, and sources of insecurity beyond the ‘conflict minerals’ paradigm In this story map, IPIS presents its findings on the linkage between mining and conflict-financing in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Based on a survey conducted between 2021-2023 of 829 active mining sites (representing over 132,320 artisanal miners), IPIS’ research provid


Kufatilia evolves into a civil society network, now equipped with a new platform to follow up on mining incidents

January 19, 2024

First annual meeting of the newly established Kufatilia network In November 2023, IPIS’ Kufatilia partners traveled to Bunia and Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to attend the first annual meeting of the newly established Kufatilia network. Consisting of two separate conferences in Ituri and South Kivu, the meeting brought together twenty-two partnered Congolese civil s


IPIS Event: Congolese cobalt, EU regulations, and direct investment

January 9, 2024

On the 30th of November, IPIS hosted its annual panel discussion, this time on current challenges facing the cobalt sector in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the potential impact of European Union (EU) regulations to improve these. Moderated by Lotte Hoex, the panel consisted of Esperant Mwishamali, independent researcher on cobalt artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the DRC,


Analysis of the interactive map of artisanal mining areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (2023 update)

December 22, 2023

Since 2009, IPIS has mapped and collected data at more than 2,800 Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) sites in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In this report, IPIS provides its 2023 update of the state of ASM in the eastern DRC, based on data from over 829 ASM sites in the eastern DRC between 2021-2023. The study analyses linkages between mining, conflict, and insecurity in


Increasing awareness of policy reforms on gender equality issues in artisanal and small-scale mining in eastern DRC: Case study of the Numbi, Nzibira and Nyabibwe sites

December 13, 2023

The mineral resources of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) provide an important source of employment for both men and women involved in artisanal and small-scaling mining (ASM). Yet opportunities are not equal for men and women.   Based on a series of interviews with various ASM stakeholders at the mines of Numbi, Nzibira and Nybibwe in the province of South Kivu, this


Mapping of artisanal mining sites in western Mambasa, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo

October 27, 2023

The western part of Mambasa territory, in Ituri province, has been overlooked by national authorities and international partners. This despite major expansions of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASM) operations, including in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR). These mining operations have caused tensions between native inhabitants, miners, armed actors, officials and conservationists. Se


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Securing insecurity: Semi-industrial gold mining and violence in Mwenga, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

October 5, 2023

Since 2011, gradual introduction of novel mining equipment such as crushing mills has led to the increasing mechanization of artisanal gold mining operations in Mwenga territory (South Kivu), including the arrival of semi-industrial mining companies. This report is part of a USAID-funded project examining the linkage between armed conflict, insecurity and natural resource exploitation in the easte


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Voix du Congo: The role of artisanal mining in the demobilisation and reintegration of former FPRI fighters in the chefferie de Walendu Bindi, Ituri

September 22, 2023

See our series: VOIX DU CONGO Located in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the province of Ituri has experienced almost two decades of activism by the armed group Force de Résistance Patriotique de l’Ituri (FRPI). The failure of a demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) programme launched in 2020 has led FRPI fighters to informally return to public life, finding


Armed groups, territorial control, land disputes, and gold exploitation in Djugu, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo

August 10, 2023

In late 2017, almost fifteen years after the end of the second Congo war, and after several years of relative peaceful coexistence, inter-communal tensions flared up once again in Ituri province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In December 2017, isolated violent incidents between members of the Hema and Lendu communities provoked an escalation and heralded the beginning of a new cyc


Sharing the results of two years of research into eastern DR Congo’s artisanal mining sector

July 12, 2023

Since 2021 and in partnership with USAID and the Congolese Ministry of Mines (through its technical service SAEMAPE), IPIS has been undertaking a large-scale project to map and analyse artisanal mining supply chains and conflict financing dynamics in eastern DRC. A restitution meeting was held in Goma (North Kivu) on June 21st, 2023 to present and discuss the results produced over the past two yea


Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) in the DRC: Midline results of a pilot study in an artisanal mining zone in Maniema province

June 19, 2023

In October 2021, the Belgian non-profit organization Eight World, started a pilot project of Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) in a village in an artisanal mining zone in the territory of Pangi, in Maniema Province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Eight World transfers cash directly to individual beneficiaries via a mobile money system. Each adult living in the UCT village receives 20


Taxes and levies in the artisanal mining sites of South Kivu and Ituri: How much does an artisanal miner pay?

April 14, 2023

This report is the result of a large-scale field study on taxation in the artisanal mining sector in the eastern Congolese provinces of Ituri and South Kivu. The main finding is that current regulations and practices in the field not only cause mineral smuggling, which leaves some of the sector’s fiscal potential untapped at the provincial and national levels, but also constitute a source of insec


Kufatilia désormais actif dans la province du Lualaba, République Démocratique du Congo

March 15, 2023

Après une mise en œuvre réussie dans les provinces productrices de 3TG du Nord-Kivu, du Sud-Kivu, de l’Ituri, et du Haut-Uele, IPIS étend son système de signalement et de suivi des incidents Kufatilia à la province du Lualaba, riche en cobalt.


Kufatilia is now active in the cobalt-producing province of Lualaba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo

March 15, 2023

After a successful implementation in the 3TG-producing provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Haut-Uele, IPIS is expanding its incident reporting and monitoring system Kufatilia to the cobalt-rich province of Lualaba.


Armed conflict, insecurity, and mining in eastern DRC: reflections on the nexus between natural resources and armed conflict

December 7, 2022

This report offers a new framework for looking at the eastern Congo conflict, one within which new evolutions of the past twenty years find a place. Indeed, violent conflict in eastern Congo has changed dramatically in all its aspects over the past two decades. Yet too often policymakers and observers appear to assume that we are dealing with a proxy war orchestrated from the DRC’s eastern neighbo


Analysis of the interactive map of artisanal mining areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo – 2022 update

November 29, 2022

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector plays an important role in the local economy. While large-scale armed conflict over DRC’s mineral wealth has decreased significantly over the past twenty years, armed actors continuously interfere in the mining sector, and conflicts over resources at the local level are still common. Based on new minin


Feedback session: Sharing the results of the data collected in Walungu, South Kivu

November 18, 2022

Since 2021, IPIS undertakes another large-scale mapping effort of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sites in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), – in partnership with USAID and the Congolese Ministry of Mines (through its technical service SAEMAPE).  The project aims to provide observers, supply chain actors and policymakers with reliable data to understand artisanal mineral


Responsible mining scorecard in eastern DRC

August 31, 2022

Over  the  years,  IPIS  has  systematically  collected  mine  site  and  trade  hub  level  data  on  artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in eastern DRC. This data collection has enabled IPIS to generate a sizable database of more than 3,000 ASM sites that draws  both  on  sites  visited  by  IPIS  and  data  from  third  party  sources  including  the  Congolese  mining  cadastre and the Mini


Maps of artisanal and small-scale mining in eastern DRC

July 4, 2022

IPIS has created large format maps of known past and present ASM sites in eastern DRC. These A0 maps cover the provinces of Haut Uele, Maniema, Ituri and North and South Kivu. Each map details the type of minerals, the qualification status by official authorities, the mining titles and provide with an overview of armed presence in and around the mines as reported during field visits conducted by I