The weight of silence: How the Mobondo revolt is shaking western DRC
Since 2022, western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been plagued by a major security and humanitarian crisis, with more than 5,000 dead, and 280,000 still displaced. While international attention has focused on the violent conflicts in eastern DRC, an intercommunity conflict at the on the outskirts of Kinshasa is sinking into a spiral of violence, with very little attention from national authorities and international partners. Against this backdrop, and as part of the awareness-raising campaign led by Caritas International Belgium and Justice & Paix, this report seeks to draw attention to the Mobondo crisis and its consequences.
Addressing conflict hotspots in environmental degradation and resource governance: The role of EU due diligence frameworks
The European Union has developed a set of due diligence frameworks aimed at improving corporate accountability in mineral supply chains, particularly those linked to conflict-affected and high-risk areas. These regulations, such as the Conflict Minerals Regulation, the Battery Regulation, and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), seek to address both social and environmental risks associated with mineral extraction. This IPIS report argues that while these frameworks represent an important step, their current implementation does not sufficiently account for the complex nexus between environmental harm, conflict dynamics, and poor governance in areas like eastern DRC.
Diamonds, conflict and crime in the Central African Republic: The lifting of the last Kimberley Process embargo
For over a decade, the Central African Republic (CAR) has been at the center of international efforts to curb the trade in conflict diamonds. In 2013, the Kimberley Process (KP) imposed a rough diamond export embargo following a violent coup and widespread reports of rebel financing through diamond mining and trade. While the embargo was partially eased between 2015 and 2019, further progress stalled amid rising geopolitical tensions. Most mining zones remained under embargo until November 2024, when the KP – rather abruptly – lifted the remaining restrictions, citing improved conditions.
Diamonds in the DRC: A sector struggling to shine again
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is an important player in the global diamond industry, with considerable untapped potential. This report discusses the current state of play in the DRC’s diamond mining sector, including production trends, key challenges, as well as efforts and opportunities to revive the sector and to increase its impact on local development and socio-economic well-being.
Human rights due diligence in the global defence industry: lessons from other sectors
The defence sector, characterized by complex and sensitive supply chains, faces growing international scrutiny to mitigate risks related to human rights violations, conflict financing, and environmental harm. While the sector faces a unique combination of challenges, the report assesses these challenges individually and demonstrates that valuable lessons can be drawn from other industries. It draws vital lessons from the technology and minerals sectors—particularly high-risk supply chains for gold, tin, tungsten, tantalum, and diamonds—to help the defence industry accelerate the integration of effective due diligence practices.
Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) in the DRC: A pilot study assessing the socio-economic effects in an artisanal mining zone of Maniema Province
Building on previous experience in Uganda, the Belgian organisation Eight World vzw started in October 2021, an Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT) pilot project in a village in an artisanal mining zone in the territory of Pangi, in Maniema province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). IPIS has undertaken a comprehensive study to evaluate key indicators related to the socio-economic, physical, and mental well-being of UCT recipients, and provide insights into the impact of the UCT programme on beneficiaries.
The M23 “version 2” – Local stakes, motivations, perceptions, and impacts
Since 2021, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has once again fallen victim to the “March 23 Movement” (M23). Supposedly defeated in 2013, the M23 took up arms again in 2021, and by 2022 had rapidly seized vast territories in the south-east of North Kivu province.
Due diligence and corporate accountability in the arms value chain
Given the nature of the products commercialised by arms value chains, and their potentially devastating impacts on human dignity, states have a strict obligation to control operators in this economic sector. But is compliance with export controls sufficient for companies to assess risks to human rights? This report analyses the possibility and necessity of establishing corporate responsibility and accountability for companies active in the arms value chain.
Roadblocks in Masisi and Walikale: Predation on movement in turbulent times
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 […]
Belgian arms exports to Israel: The discrepancy between words and deeds in export control policy
In this report, Vredesactie and IPIS take a critical look at Belgium’s policy on the export and transit of defense-related goods and dual-use goods to Israel. The new Gaza war puts this arms trade policy back in the spotlight. The regional governments, responsible for arms trade, regularly claim to assume the highest standards. And […]
Analysis of the interactive map of artisanal mining areas in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (2023 update)
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 […]
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
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 […]
Petra Diamonds’ attempts to come clean with its tarnished past in Tanzania
Challenges in securing access to remedy and restoring community relations after serious human rights abuse at the Williamson diamond mine This report assesses the efforts by Petra Diamonds to restore community relations and remediate the legacy of serious human rights abuse at its Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania. In 2021, Petra reached a multi-million-pound settlement, […]
Mapping of artisanal mining sites in western Mambasa, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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. Seeking to provide an […]
The EU Conflict Minerals Regulation: High stakes, disappointing results
The EU Regulation on the responsible supply of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRAs) came into full force on 1 January 2021. Also known as the “Conflict Minerals” or “Responsible Minerals” Regulation, it aims to break the link between the exploitation and trade in 3TG on the one hand, and conflict […]
Securing insecurity: Semi-industrial gold mining and violence in Mwenga, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
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 […]
Armed groups, territorial control, land disputes, and gold exploitation in Djugu, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo
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 […]
Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) in the DRC: Midline results of a pilot study in an artisanal mining zone in Maniema province
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 […]
Taxes and levies in the artisanal mining sites of South Kivu and Ituri: How much does an artisanal miner pay?
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 […]
A human rights perspective on arms export licencing and access to information
Arms export licensing has long been dominated by two rationales: an interstate perspective and intrastate perspective. In the former arms licensing enables trust-building between nations while the latter increases government accountability. A human rights perspective is overdue in arms export licensing. Victims and their defenders should be able to pursue effective remedy when harm is inflicted on […]
