The capture of Goma, capital of North Kivu, and Bukavu, capital of South Kivu, in January 2025 brought the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) back into the spotlight. Natural resources were quickly identified as a key driver of the violence, with coltan frequently cited as a major source of contention. Coltan is a mineral composed of columbite and tantalite, from which niobium and tantalum are respectively extracted.
The vast majority of media reports have focused on coltan in North Kivu and neglected production in South Kivu. This study sought to redress this imbalance and set itself the following objectives: (i) to identify the smuggling routes for coltan from South Kivu; (ii) to estimate the scale of fraud; (iii) to analyze the factors contributing to fraud; and (iv) to examine how this fraud is carried out in practice. To answer these questions, between March and December 2024, the author (who was anonymized for security reasons) visited 18 artisanal coltan mining sites covering all territories of South Kivu Province, except Fizi, and interviewed artisanal miners, traders, state agents and processing entities.
Analysis of coltan smuggling routes shows that their final destination is Rwanda, and this was already the case before the M23 invasion of South Kivu. Coltan mined in the territories of Mwenga and Shabunda is first transported to Bukavu and then to Rwanda, either by road or by crossing the Ruzizi River on foot or by pirogue. For the coltan from Kalehe and Idjwi, crossing Lake Kivu is the preferred route for mineral smugglers.
Fraud in the coltan trade is partly driven by a complex, costly, and discouraging legal export process. The report identified 34 specific procedures requiring 61 signatures and involving 17 state services or representatives. In addition, the lack of sufficient state personnel to monitor all artisanal mining sites creates further opportunities for illegal activity. A third enabling factor is the presence of armed groups at mining sites, who are either directly involved in production or extort illegal payments from miners.
The report outlines three fraudulent practices used to smuggle coltan. One common method of “vragage”, where coltan is mixed with cassiterite to evade detection during controls. Another method involves concealing the transport of ore—either moving it from illegal to legal mines or smuggling it to export points—by hiding it in vehicles such as trucks, buses, cars, or motorcycles. These fraudulent practices are made possible through the complicity of corrupt state agents and undisciplined members of the FARDC.
The report puts forward several urgent recommendations to combat fraud and protect Congo’s natural resources. These include simplifying export procedures, granting export rights to mining cooperatives, and equipping control agencies with the necessary technical tools. It also calls for the regular payment of civil servants and military personnel to reduce susceptibility to corruption. Most critically, the report emphasizes the need to restore effective state authority over borders and mining areas.
About the author: For security reasons, the lead author cannot be named. He is an expert on mining issues and an active member of civil society in South Kivu. He resides in Bukavu, which was under the control of the M23 at the time of writing and publication of this report.
The ‘Voix du Congo‘ series:
IPIS supports non-governmental organisations in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and provides the support and platform to disseminate their research results, within the framework of the project “Voix du Congo”. The opinions and facts reported in these reports do not, in any way, reflect IPIS’ positions but give an insight into the way Congolese civil society organizations work and analyze the problems and realities they face.
Other publications of this series are available here: “Voix du Congo”.
This document was produced with the financial support of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the author and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
