The complexiTy of resource governance in a conTexT of sTaTe ... - Ipis

6 International Alert
and possibly the most important coltan mining area in the whole of eastern DRC; and the
Bafwasende and Mambasa territories produce a considerable percentage of Congolese gold.
• As a consequence of the hinterland’s supply role to the Kivus, the main beneficiaries of the
trade in hinterland minerals are traders based in the Kivu provinces. This is especially true for
Maniema, where a degraded transport infrastructure requires most of its mineral production
to be flown directly from airstrips dispersed all over the province, to Goma and Bukavu.
Traders from Butembo (and Bunia) are among the main beneficiaries of the gold trade from
Bafwasende and Mambasa. However, in several areas of Mambasa, semi-industrial gold
mining operators, and their political and administrative backers, also seem to be making
substantial profits.
The situation in Northern Katanga is different. There, a single comptoir is handling sales of
locally mined coltan and to a lesser extent, cassiterite. The recent arrival of this comptoir, with
the support of the provincial government in Lubumbashi, has sidelined the traditional traders
originating from the Kivus.
• Although there is no complex conflict situation as in the Kivus, armed groups are nevertheless
present in the hinterland territories. Many of these armed groups, including the Congolese
army, generate income from mining and informal trade in minerals.
The situation is probably the most serious in Bafwasende, where the Forces Armées de la
République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC) are taking advantage of the protracted war
with Mayi-Mayi militias to engage in the mineral trade. In both Bafwasende and Mambasa,
there have been reports of serious human rights violations by the FARDC.
Though the security situation is better in Maniema, some mining areas suffer regular incursions
from armed groups, including the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR),
as well as extortion by elements of the army and civilian authorities. In the far north of
Katanga, the FDLR has carried out a number of raids on small mining sites, while the FARDC
generates income at several of the larger ones.
• The difficulties faced by artisanal miners in the hinterland are similar to those faced in the
Kivus. They receive little support from the state and often work on dangerous sites in which
the day-to-day necessities must be flown in, and sometimes traded for scarce grams of gold
while the economic operators invest little in the social needs of their labour force. Moreover,
the artisanal miners are rarely organised, which weakens their power to bargain when it
comes to mineral pricing.
iii) Policy recommendations
The situation does not lend itself to quick and easy recommendations. Nevertheless, based on our
research and analysis, we offer the following lines of action for consideration.
• The security problem in the hinterland is not as complex as that of the Kivus. Therefore,
the Congolese government with support from its international partners should consider
developing the mining sector in the hinterland.
• The relatively calm security situation in most of the hinterland offers an opportunity for
international due diligence efforts as most of the mining sites are outside conflict zones.