12 International Alert Northern Katanga
<strong>The</strong> complexity <strong>of</strong> <strong>resource</strong> <strong>governance</strong> <strong>in</strong> a context <strong>of</strong> state fragility: An analysis <strong>of</strong> the m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g sector <strong>in</strong> the Kivu h<strong>in</strong>terlands 13 Chapter 1: Northern Katanga (Steven Spittaels & Elisabeth Caesens) 1.1 M<strong>in</strong>erals <strong>in</strong> Northern Katanga <strong>The</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational m<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g community has been <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> the copper and cobalt reserves <strong>in</strong> the south <strong>of</strong> the prov<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>of</strong> Katanga for decades. More recently, the north is rumoured to be as much <strong>of</strong> a “geological scandal” as the south, albeit for m<strong>in</strong>erals more closely related to those <strong>of</strong> the Kivus, such as coltan, cassiterite and gold. <strong>The</strong> soil also conta<strong>in</strong>s high levels <strong>of</strong> other m<strong>in</strong>erals, such as silver. 2 <strong>The</strong> paragraphs below describe what is currently be<strong>in</strong>g extracted. Cassiterite Central Katangan territories, such as Manono, Malemba Nkulu and Mitwaba, have significant deposits <strong>of</strong> cassiterite (t<strong>in</strong> ore) and coltan, a byproduct. Manono hosted one <strong>of</strong> the few <strong>in</strong>dustrial companies operat<strong>in</strong>g north <strong>of</strong> the copper belt, the colonial t<strong>in</strong> company Géom<strong>in</strong>es, later renamed Zaire-Eta<strong>in</strong> (and Congo Eta<strong>in</strong> after the downfall <strong>of</strong> former President Mobutu). S<strong>in</strong>ce the Second Congo War (1998–2003), artisanal m<strong>in</strong>ers have taken over former <strong>in</strong>dustrial sites and begun exploit<strong>in</strong>g newly discovered deposits. 3 Official cassiterite production <strong>in</strong> 2009 from Manono, Malemba Nkulu and Mitwaba comb<strong>in</strong>ed amounted to approximately 1,368 tonnes. 4 Coltan Coltan has always been the pr<strong>in</strong>cipal m<strong>in</strong>eral m<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> Nyunzu and Kalemie territories, but it has also ga<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> popularity <strong>in</strong> Manono and Malemba Nkulu. Coltan deposits attract more and more m<strong>in</strong>ers, 5 especially <strong>in</strong> the north <strong>of</strong> Manono. This heightened <strong>in</strong>terest might reflect the evolution <strong>of</strong> the world market price, which has been better for coltan than cassiterite <strong>in</strong> the last two years (see the graphs <strong>of</strong> the evolution <strong>of</strong> world market prices 2008–10, and table <strong>of</strong> export prices <strong>in</strong> Annexe 2). An additional explanation for coltan’s popularity is a new prov<strong>in</strong>cial tax on Katangese m<strong>in</strong>erals travell<strong>in</strong>g through other prov<strong>in</strong>ces. While its impact on the coltan trade was limited, it has considerably disrupted the cassiterite trade. <strong>The</strong> prov<strong>in</strong>cial tax and its impact on the m<strong>in</strong>eral trade are discussed below. Table 1: Coltan production at the four most important coltan m<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong> Tanganyika district (<strong>in</strong> kg) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Kisengo 5,314 3,459 13,501 8,978 5,601 9,094 5,590 9,355 6,356 7,413 74,661 Mayi Baridi 1,750 690 2,250 1,700 4,050 3,250 5,674 19,364 Malemba 1,246 650 3,094 Katonge 2,500 1,700 4,450 2,950 7,541 1,500 3,300 23,941 TOTAL 181,062 Source: Division des m<strong>in</strong>es, Kalemie 2 Interview, EITI representative, Lubumbashi, July 2010. 3 Part <strong>of</strong> production at the Congo-Eta<strong>in</strong> sites has always been artisanal, even at the peak <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustrialisation. <strong>The</strong> difference today is that the <strong>in</strong>dustrial component has entirely disappeared. New cassiterite m<strong>in</strong>er M<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g M<strong>in</strong>eral Resources (MMR) claims it wants to revive the production cha<strong>in</strong> from extraction to transformation <strong>in</strong>to t<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> Katanga prov<strong>in</strong>ce over the next few years. 4 In comparison, Géom<strong>in</strong>es produced about seven times as much on a yearly basis dur<strong>in</strong>g World War II. Interview by IPIS, former Géom<strong>in</strong>es employee, Manono, June 2010. 5 Interview, SAESSCAM staff, Lubumbashi, May 2010.
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