Publications
Risky Business. The Lundin Group’s involvement in the Tenke Fungurume Mining project in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Raf Custers, Sara Nordbrand | February 28, 2008
A SwedWatch/Diakonia/IPIS report. After a decade of war and political turmoil, the tide seems to be turning for the DR Congo. The country is now engaged in reconstructing a society that was destroyed by decades of dictatorship and a global power play. Activities are taking off in the mining sector as well. The DR Congo belongs to the category of resource rich countries, with a number of important
Mapping interests in conflict areas: Katanga. (Update September-November 2007)
- Filip Hilgert, Steven Spittaels | January 23, 2008
The International Peace Information Service (IPIS), a Belgium based research NGO, is a member of the Fatal Transactions consortium, which carries out the action ‘From Fatal to Fair Transactions’ with co-funding from the EU. IPIS’ contribution to this action is to develop a tool for the analysis of conflict drivers. Making use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software, we visualise possible
World Bank and DRCongo, Mining Session, Paris November 30, 2007
- Raf Custers | December 28, 2007
On November 29 and 30, 2007, a Consultative Group Meeting on the Democratic Republic of Congo took place at the World Bank’s offices in Paris. Download in pdf or open with issuu reader. http://issuu.com/ipisresearch/docs/world_bank_and_drc
Congo blijft onder buitenlandse druk
- Raf Custers | October 28, 2007
Dat president Kabila zijn bezoek aan Brussel inkortte, had één verifieerbare reden: Kabila verbleef vier dagen in Noord-Kivu waar in augustus opnieuw zware gevechten uitbraken tussen het regeringsleger en de rebellerende ex-generaal Laurent Nkunda. Maar Nkunda is niet Kabila’s enige kopzorg, hij ondervindt van meerdere kanten druk. Congolese waarnemers zien daarin de hand van het Westen. Download
Mapping interests in conflict areas: Katanga (August 2007)
- Nick Meynen, Steven Spittaels | August 23, 2007
Revised version August 2007. ‘Mapping interests in conflict areas: Katanga’ reports on the presence of (ex-) combatants in the Congolese province of Katanga. It focuses on two broad categories: the ‘Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo’ (FARDC) and the Mayi-Mayi militias. There is no significant presence of other armed groups in the region. After the surrender of the warlord Gédéon
Netwerk rond generaal Nkunda dient onderzocht
- IPIS | July 10, 2007
Eind deze maand loopt het mandaat van de VN-Expertengroep voor Congo af. De groep komt eerstdaags met haar eindrapport. IPIS, de International Peace Information Service in Antwerpen, kon het rapport al inkijken. Het rapport bevat een aantal specifieke gegevens die ook voor België relevant zijn. Zo is ons land de belangrijkste bestemming voor tin-erts vanuit Goma. Een bewoner van de gemeente Tessen
Natural Resource Sector Reform in the DRC
- IPIS | January 5, 2007
The All Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa convened a meeting on December 6, 2006 to discuss the agenda for reform of the natural resource sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). One of the principle aims of the meeting was to contribute to the work of the United Nations Group of Experts by discussing suggestions for action raised in the course of their work so
Greed and guns. Uganda’s Role in the Rape of the Congo
- Brian Johnson-Thomas, Peter Danssaert | July 22, 2006
This report deals specifically with the recent Ugandan involvement in the military, political and economic affairs of its giant western neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has contributed to a pattern of serious human rights abuses of the Congolese people. To corroborate evidence and gather additional information on Uganda’s involvement in the Congolese conflict the authors of t
The State versus the people? Governance, Mining and the Transitional Regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo: the Case of Katanga
- Didier Verbruggen | June 5, 2006
Resource Extraction and Transparency, in: OPENSPACE Vol. 1, no. 4, Open society initiative for Southern Africa, June 2006. Download in pdf or open with issuu reader. http://issuu.com/ipisresearch/docs/juli_2006_artikel_osisa
De Congolese politiek als sleutel tot een rationeel beheer van natuurlijke rijkdommen
- Didier Verbruggen | May 5, 2006
De bodem van de Democratische Republiek Congo (DRC) herbergt een fabelachtige schat aan natuurlijke rijkdommen. In de regio van Ituri vind je enorme goudafzettingen, de Kivus bevatten grote concentraties columbo-tantaliet (‘coltan’) en cassiteriet, diamant wordt gedolven in de Kasaï provincies, en doorheen het zuiden van Katanga loopt de Centraal- Afrikaanse ‘copper belt’ die respectievelijk 34 en
The State vs. the People. Governance, mining and the transitional regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Didier Verbruggen | March 27, 2006
27/03/2006 PRESS RELEASE Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa – Fatal Transactions Fatal Transactions publishes DR Congo report – The State versus The People Fair distribution of DRC natural wealth undermined by poor administration and corruption in transitional government Three years of transitional government in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to anything but stability and ec
Democratic Republic of Congo: arming the east
- Peter Danssaert | July 2, 2005
Amnesty 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
- APPG, Peter Danssaert | December 2, 2004
The 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
- Jeroen Cuvelier, Tim Raeymaekers | September 10, 2002
Coltan 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
- Tim Raeymaekers | June 16, 2002
This 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
- Jeroen Cuvelier, Tim Raeymaekers | January 16, 2002
Since 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?
- IPIS | June 16, 2001
Allegations 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
- IPIS | June 6, 2001
The 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)
- Johan Peleman | June 17, 1999
Dit 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