Democratic Republic of Congo: arming the east
July 2, 2005Amnesty International is concerned that, during the peace process in the DRC, military aid has been provided from agents close to the Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC governments to armed groups and militia in eastern DRC who have committed grave human rights abuses. This document presents only a partial picture of the trade in arms because this trade is characterized by extreme stealth. Peace in the Gr
Arms flows in Eastern Congo: a report pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1533
December 2, 2004The All Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region and Genocide Prevention has been closely monitoring events in the Great Lakes Region since 1998. In seeking to promote conflict resolution, APPG delegations have travelled on fact-finding missions to Burundi (2000); Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), (2001, 2003, 2004); Rwanda (2000, 2002,2004); Uganda (2004), and a series of reports have been
European companies and the coltan trade: An update
September 10, 2002Coltan and Congo: the implication of the private sector Coltan is a rare metal ore used for the production of capacitors and other high-tech applications. It is mined in several countries in Africa, Asia and the U.S. and later refined by a small number of processing companies in Germany, the U.S., Kazakhstan and the Far East (see frame: coltan, the black gold). For the high-tech industry, coltan p
Network War. An Introduction to Congo’s Privatised War Economy
June 16, 2002This report provides a preliminary analysis into the conflict economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gradually, the scope of the war in DRC (1998-today) has shifted from political to economic motivations. Today, six states and many other rebel movements are fighting each other to gain control over Congo’s precious resources: diamonds, gold, coltan and others. Millions of Congolese have d
Supporting the War Economy in the DRC: European Companies and the Coltan Trade
January 16, 2002Since the outbreak of the second Congolese war in August 1998, the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have been caught up in a fight over their country’s vast natural resources. Six neighbouring states and several rebel groups compete to extract maximum commercial and material benefits at an exorbitant human cost for millions of Congolese. The private sector plays a vital role in the conti
Have African-based Diamond Monopolies Been Effective?
June 16, 2001Allegations of links between certain monopoly members and illicit activity will be assessed, with several cases highlighted to provide a more complete picture of the dynamics within the monopolies. Above all, this article seeks objectivity in attempting to separate fact from fiction, and in citing the possible sources, and reasons behind, numerous rumours in circulation – and how these rumours may
Mineral Exports by RCD-Goma in 2000
June 6, 2001The following is a summary of gold, colombo-tantalite (coltan) and diamond exports in 2000 from territory controlled by the Rassemblement Congolais pour la Démocratie-(RCD-Goma) rebels in Eastern Congo. These figures were obtained from the RCD Department des Terres, Mines et Énergie in Goma, March 2001, with copies of the documents in the possession of IPIS. The data supplied below is an abridged
Illegale trafiek van wapens naar conflicten: De grote meren en Angola (123)
June 17, 1999Dit dossier bundelt een aantal voorlopige resultaten van een langlopend onderzoek naar de mechanismen van de illegale wapenhandel. Een meer uitgebreide en gedetailleerde studie verschijnt in het najaar en is het resultaat van een onderzoeksproject waarvoor I.P.I.S. samenwerkte met de organisaties NISAT (Noorwegen) en BASIC (Groot-Brittanië en de VS). Met het project willen deze organisaties de pro
