Kufatilia se transforme en réseau de la société civile, désormais doté d’une nouvelle plateforme de suivi des incidents miniers.

19 janvier 2024

Première réunion annuelle du nouveau réseau Kufatilia En novembre 2023, les partenaires Kufatilia se sont rendus à Bunia et Bukavu, dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), pour assister à la première réunion annuelle du nouveau réseau Kufatilia. Composée de deux conférences distinctes en Ituri et au Sud-Kivu, la réunion a rassemblé vingt-deux organisations de la société civil


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

9 janvier 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,


G7 targets Russian diamonds – Q&A

28 octobre 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has led to an unprecedented proliferation of economic sanctions designed to hit Russia’s economy and drain the resources of the Russian war chest. Among these are efforts to ban Russian diamonds from Western markets. Early October, at a meeting in Brussels with Ukraine’s President Zelensky, Belgian Prime Minister de Croo stated that t


Déclaration conjointe d’ONG : Le règlement de l’UE sur les ‘minerais de conflits’ peine à atteindre ses objectifs

19 octobre 2023

20 ONG appellent l’UE à renforcer l’application des règles et à adopter de nouvelles mesures Téléchargez la déclaration conjointe Bruxelles, le 19 octobre 2023 Plus de six ans après son entrée en vigueur, le règlement de l’Union européenne sur l’approvisionnement responsable en étain, tungstène, tantale et en or provenant de zones de conflit ou à haut risque peine à atteindre ses principaux o


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

12 juillet 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


EVENT – June 21st: Empowering African artisanal diamond mining communities for a more responsible supply chain

23 mai 2023

IPIS and Diamonds for Peace invite you to a panel discussion on Wednesday 21st June 2023 in Antwerp. Panelists will share their experiences of working with artisanal diamond mining communities and views on how to include artisanal miners for a more responsible diamond supply chain. Speakers will then answer questions from the audience.  Date: Wednesday 21st June 2023


My GIS internship at IPIS – A goodbye from our latest intern Philip Knirsch

20 mars 2023

During the second half of 2022, I had the chance to complete a GIS internship at IPIS in Antwerp. As a student pursuing a degree in both African Studies and Geography, I was eager to apply my existing knowledge from both fields and gather valuable insights and experience.  The main tasks of the GIS and data analysis team, and thus of my internship, included supporting other researchers in col


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

15 mars 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 désormais actif dans la province du Lualaba, République Démocratique du Congo

15 mars 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.


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

18 novembre 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


Joint statement on conflict & due diligence legislation

14 octobre 2022

The forthcoming EU due diligence Directive is lacking in its provisions for companies that are active in conflict affected areas and should be amended to align better with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Together with 50+ signatories, IPIS calls for a heightened, conflict-sensitive due diligence process for high-risk areas that includes compliance with international humanit


IPIS event on Russia’s geopolitical and mining interests in Africa after the Ukraine invasion. Main takeaways

6 octobre 2022

On September 29th 2022 IPIS organised a panel discussion with Nina Wilén, the director of the Africa Programme of the Egmont Institute, and IPIS researcher Hans Merket. Key topics were the implications of the Ukraine invasion for Russia-Africa relations. The discussion, moderated by Filip Reyniers, touched upon shifting power balances, the role of Russian mercenaries in Africa and the impact of th


Viktor Bout documents released under Mandatory Declassification Review by the Clinton Library

26 septembre 2022

In 2015 IPIS vzw asked for a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) of selected documents in relation to Viktor Bout, produced by the Clinton administration between 1999 and 2001, and held in the Clinton Library. MDR “is a means by which any individual or entity can request any Federal agency to review classified information for declassification, regardless of its age or origin, subject to certai


New 5-year project aiming to empower communities and civil society to foster justice and human rights in Tanzania’s natural resource sector

16 septembre 2022

In 2022, IPIS launched new work on the human rights impact of the natural resource sector in Tanzania. Our new five-year project “Empowering Tanzanian communities and civil society to foster justice & human rights in natural resource governance” builds on the expertise IPIS has been developing on northern Tanzania’s small- and large-scale mining sector as well as the implementation and monitor


IPIS EVENT – 29 September 2022 – Russia’s geopolitical and mining interests in Africa: implications of the Ukraine invasion

8 août 2022

IPIS invites you to a panel discussion on Russia’s geopolitical and mining interests in Africa and the implications of the Ukraine invasion. Date: September 29th. Time: 4 – 6 PM Location: Atelier 29, BRUSSELS


Feedback session: Sharing the results of the data collected in Shabunda

19 mai 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


Press release: Universal basic income project expands to more regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo

12 mai 2022

Eight’s basic income project, in collaboration with IPIS, the Belgian Development Cooperation, Fairphone, announces the expansion of its basic income pilot project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).


Timeline of the conflict in Tigray

28 avril 2022

In February of 2022, Peter Danssaert created a detailed timeline of the conflict in Tigray dating from 1991 to 2022. The timeline was used by participants of a webinar on the Tigray conflict organised by Union Chapel. The webinar took place on April 28th, 2022 but can still be viewed online. October 20, 2022 there will be a new event by Union Chapel on the current situation in Tigray. You can regi


Op-ed: Belgium’s inaction on diamond trade with Russia is not justifiable

26 avril 2022

This op-ed was published in Dutch in De Standaard on April 12, 2022 — Hans Merket The Antwerp diamond hub presents itself as the most ethical in the world. This does not sit well with turning a blind eye on the war in Ukraine. There are no arguments left to justify doing nothing about the flow of income that the Russian regime receives from the diamond trade with Belgium. Both the Antwerp diamond


A goodbye from our latest student assistants in the GIS and data Team

7 avril 2022

At the end of 2021, as part of a university course on peace research, I started diving into the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its current production of minerals. During this research I came across IPIS and its Open Data Dashboard, which impressed me a lot. When I saw that there was a student job opportunity for the GIS and data analysis team, I applied; and beginning of 202