Initiatives en matière de ‘minerais de conflit’ en RD Congo: perceptions des communautés minières locales

December 16, 2013

L’exploitation minière est une importante source de revenus pour de nombreuses communautés dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). Cette même richesse minière joue cependant aussi un rôle majeur dans la persistance de l’insécurité dans certaines parties du pays. Les revenus générés par le commerce des minerais fournissent des moyens d’opération aux groupes armés ainsi qu’un financ


‘Conflict Minerals’ initiatives in DR Congo: Perceptions of local mining communities

November 12, 2013

The exploitation of minerals is an important source of income for many communities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Yet this mineral wealth also plays a significant role in the continuation of insecurity in parts of the country. Revenues from mineral trade have given armed groups the means to operate, and provided off-budget funding to (often poorly paid) state security forces. Whils


Strijd tegen conflictmineralen: sleutel tot conflictresolutie in Oost-Congo?

July 24, 2013

De PDF van dit artikel is met toestemming van de redactie overgenomen uit de /Internationale Spectator, Clingendael Magazine voor Internationale Betrekkingen/, uitgegeven door de Koninklijke Van Gorcum, te Assen namens het Nederlands Instituut voor Internationale Betrekkingen ‘Clingendael’ te Den Haag. Download in pdf of open met issuu reader. http://issuu.com/ipisresearch/docs/20130700_is_art_mat


Gold and diamonds in the Central African Republic. The country’s mining sector, and related social, economic and environmental issues.

March 29, 2013

Gold and diamonds in Central Africa easily conjure up images of conflict, rebel funding, human rights violations, and smuggling. As a country landlocked within an unstable region, neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and recently the scene of another coup, the Central African Republic (CAR) might be considered an appropriate candidate for analysis within the conflict-mineral perspe


The Arms Trade Treaty: Building a Path to Disarmament

March 9, 2013

The goal of this article is to examine and suggest proposals that could enhance the role of the international Arms Trade Treaty—presently in discussion at the United Nations—in the regulation of the international arms trade and in addressing the role of the legal trade in: a) providing the bulk of the arms used in armed conflicts, armed violence and human rights abuses; b) the excessive arming of


“Véhicules civils militarisables” and the EU arms embargo on Sudan

September 13, 2011

The ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur has been overlooked recently because the international community has been focusing on the popular revolts in North Africa in the first half of the year and South Sudan’s peaceful referendum on secession from northern Sudan, and the subsequent violence in and over the contested Abyei region, In December 2010, however, fighting in Darfur resumed and has cont


The Karamoja Cluster of eastern Africa: Arms transfers and their repercussions on communal security perceptions

December 31, 2010

Nomadic peoples are often, if not universally, perceived as a problem by the governments of the nation states who have responsibility for them; this is particularly so in the case of the three nations with which this report is concerned, viz: Kenya, Uganda and (southern) Sudan. The pastoralist societies within the Karamajong cluster have been unable to adequately defend themselves politically agai


The complexity of resource governance in a context of state fragility: An analysis of the mining sector in the Kivu hinterlands (2010)

November 30, 2010

The report ‘Mining activity and mineral trade in the Kivu hinterland’ was commissioned by the Directorate General for Development (DG DEV) of the European Commission and aims to fill an information gap by identifying the principal mining sites and analysing the trade networks of the ‘eastern hinterland’ of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), located in Maniema, North Katanga and Orientale


Africa’s natural resources in a global context

August 6, 2009

While, on the one hand, it is widely acknowledged that Africa has great natural resource potential, on the other hand, one cannot but regret that the complex interplay between political and economic factors at the national and international level appears to make it impossible to use a more substantial part of the revenues from the exploitation and trade of these resources for the promotion of the